John Reith, the first Director-General of the BBC, was intensely high-minded. A Scottish Presbyterian, he imbued the organisation with a sense of seriousness and moral purpose which endured long after he left the role of DG in the 1930s. The adjective “Reithian”, still in occasional use today, was coined to refer to his emphasis on high culture, intellectualism and probity.
It would be a stretch to say that Reith’s vision still animates the Corporation, as it enters its second century. Starting in the 1960s, “Auntie” allied herself with the social and sexual revolution then underway, slowly at first and then faster and faster. Nowadays no-one bats an eyelid at bad language, sexual content, and violence that would have caused a national outcry not very long ago. Such is the salami-slicing process by which societies are transformed.
The latest stage on this downward slide is Swipe Your Sign, an “astrology based”, “queer dating” podcast. The details are about as bad as you would expect. Now defenders of the BBC might say that they must cater to everyone, that they must cast the net widely and provide things that all parts of the population can enjoy. If there is a significant proportion of the population that believes in astrology and feels the need for a queer dating app, why shouldn’t the BBC reach out to them?
The problem is that this line of thinking is contrary to the original Reithian conception of the BBC. It may seem rather austere or paternalist to us now, but the founders of the Corporation genuinely believed that the programmes they provided should elevate and form popular tastes, rather than simply catering to people’s immediate desires.
This conception came from the Christian or Christian-influenced convictions of the men who set up the BBC. As ever, it turns out that, to quote Cardinal Manning, “all human conflict is ultimately theological.” The argument about what the BBC should – and should not – broadcast cannot, in the final analysis, be disentangled from the argument about whether God exists and whether Christianity is true. This is where the conflict really lies. The liberal secularist idea, that the government can be a kind of neutral arbiter among different competing spiritual and metaphysical claims, is inherently unstable. This is because the governing classes of a country, which in the modern era includes those who control TV, the internet and social media, will always have to privilege particular viewpoints, even unwillingly or unconsciously.
What it means is that the BBC is promoting a podcast about astrology and “queer dating” and would not even consider one about “Catholic dating” or the arguments for traditional marriage. It does not mean that elite decision-makers are trying to establish a level playing field. It means that they are picking a side in the everlasting argument about the meaning and purpose of the universe. We must therefore debate them on those terms. It’s no use talking about the BBC Charter and Lord Reith and the duty of impartiality. There are deeper truths at stake. The first epistle of St Peter puts it this way: “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you”.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.