EastEnders legend Shaun Williamson says the BBC won’t survive unless it scraps the license fee.
The 58-year-old actor made his name on the broadcaster’s channels thanks to his role as hapless care salesman Barry Evans in EastEnders from 1994 until 2004 and in Ricky Gervais’ comedy Extras.
Shaun thinks the BBC ’s programming is as good as it’s ever been, but unless it modernises and accepts that the next generation of viewers would rather watch shows on their phone it won’t last.
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He said: “It’s not their fault it’s just that it’s only going to get… if we use the term worse, you know what I mean. At my age, I lived through the golden age of television, really. So it’s only going to get worse in regards that the next generation of kids are going to use their phones.
(Image: BBC)
“When my generation is all gone it’ll be hard to justify the BBC, I think they’ll have to go to a pay service channel like all the others, or be like ITV and use advertising. All the youngsters are on their phones watching one of two thousand channels they can get hold of, watching stuff from America, it’s just the way it is. It is no one’s fault.
“These new waves of kids they’re not going to pay for a license fee, they’re not even going to own a television some of them. They’ll say, ‘I only use this phone, I haven’t got a television.’ How are the BBC going to fund themselves? They’re going to have to do it through advertising, it’s all they can do.
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“It’s inevitable, it’s nothing to do with their quality, their quality is as good as it’s ever been there’s just less people watching it because of technology.”
Shaun believes the recent deal the BBC has struck with Disney to make Doctor Who available to stream on the iPlayer and Disney Plus could be the way forward to ensure that EastEnders and broadcaster’s other flagship shows reach a larger audience.
(Image: Getty Images)
When asked if the soap could be made available to stream on another network, he said: “They’re going to have to have a look at their options, all their options, and that’s not a bad idea.
“They’re going to have to sort something out, and they’ve got good brains there to do it. They have to have a plan in place before everyone is on their phone. It’s as simple as that.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
