Top-slicing the Beeb: Clueless execs get busy

A bloke from the production staff union BECTU, who was so loud he didn't need a microphone and who deafened everyone when he did, effectively called Dejeune a fifth columnist. Another attendee, whose affiliation I didn't catch, argued that if the BBC's revenues were cut, then it would be crippled, because its cost base had to remain the same. Deductive reasoning, anyone?

Almost the last word went to independent producer Alex Graham, who swotted away a point by Reg favourite Anthony Lilley of Nathan Barley Quango notoriety. Graham's company recently completed the amazing series The Genius of Photography, and he's a scourge of reality TV.

Lilley did his usual Fear Pitch of sub-Jeff Jarvisisms, by talking about the "attention crisis". As ever, the answer to the crisis of the dwindling TV audience is "employ New Media people like me!".

(At Westminster Forums, panellists write their own bios - I've been on a couple. And I couldn't help noticing that the only person with a bio longer than Anthony Lilley's epic contribution was Steve Barnett.)

But Graham pointed out that the answer to the "attention crisis" (ie, people finding something better to do than watch terrible TV) was quite simple - make great programmes.

Do you think it might work?

Alas the Beeb's crisis of confidence is now so great, it's unable to do what it should, and can do very well. But even more of a problem, I think, is that its supporters prefer a fictional, nostalgic, saccharine version of the BBC rooted in a bygone era, the one that really only exists in their imaginations.

They think they're helping the BBC, but really they're helping kill it. Slowly and painfully. ®