Noel Edmonds defies BBC's jackbooted enforcers

Cancels TV licence - or does he?

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Entertainment, 19th September 2008 11:45 GMT

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Embearded TV presenter Noel Edmonds last week made a heroic stand against the BBC's "threatening" manner towards those who refuse to stump for the privilege of gawking at the idiot's lantern by cancelling his TV licence, the BBC reports.

Edmonds, 59, declared he was protesting against "an aggressive culture in the UK", and announced: "Auntie's put boxing gloves on. I'm so incensed by the idea that I'm guilty of something that I actually cancelled my licence fee a few months ago."

He dismissed the threat of jackbooted operatives kicking in his front door to collect the 1000 quid penalty for unlicensed viewing, sniffing: "They haven't found me and nobody's come knocking on the door."

However, there may a perfectly good reason why the Corporation's stormtroopers haven't paid Edmonds a visit. A TV Licensing spokeman said: "TV Licensing has checked its records and can confirm we have a valid current licence on record for his address."

Edmond's spokesman Mark Borkowski counterattacked: "They have completely not issued Noel Edmonds with a TV licence. He has not got one."

Well, we like completely don't know what to make of this one, although we'd like to remind readers that Edmonds enjoyed a long tenure at the BBC at the licence payers' expense, and that collection techniques for non-payment were during that time no less "aggressive" than they are now. Ah, the prowling detector vans of doom. I remember it well... ®

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