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Mark Thompson Q&A

Posted on April 18, 2007 - Filed Under Coventry Conversations, Media |

“John Mair puts audience questions to BBC director general Mark Thompson”

April 17th 2007
Coventry Cathederal

How do you feel being called
‘Britain’s leading lay Catholic’?
I’m Christian. Some of my colleagues at the BBC have faith, some don’t. I think we have a lot of shared values. I know plenty of atheists who I would trust
not only with my life but also with the issues of truthfulness and honesty. My duty is to make sure that all of the faiths and all of the opinions are heard.

How is the BBC going to maintain its commitment to Public Service Broadcasting in the increasingly competitive market place?
Audiences across the world already have plenty of choices that will go on growing. I think that you can already see in the UK whether you look at our local radio, and compare it with commercial local radio, if you look at BBC One, BBC Two and compare it with commercial television.

What is Public Service Broadcasting?
To me Public Service Broadcasting is broadcasting that has ambitions to go beyond simply meeting the immediate consumer appetite. It’s got ambition in various ways to improve Society, to let people improve themselves. To strengthen the ways in which we face the big issues of the day, for example.

The media has been blamed for the split of Prince William and his girlfriend. Is this justified?
I’m not privy to the details of what happened. I do think all of the media need to think hard about privacy and intrusions. We’re in the age where issues of privacy and intrusion are not just about a handful of celebrities, they potentially touch on all of us – whether it’s identity fraud, whether it’s not knowing what information people have on you. I think it’s going to be a growing concern. I think historically the British media have not been good on this topic. Things have got better. The BBC are far more cautious on this topic than anyone else
in the British media.

What do you watch listen to at the moment that’s good?
I’ve been watching Doctor Who and Life on Mars. I think drama on BBC One, which seven or eight years ago was not doing very well, is much, much stronger now than it was then. But I also enjoy American shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty.

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