The government has begun the process of reviewing the BBC’s royal charter for its renewal beyond 2027. This process raises fundamental questions about the future of the organisation. How should public service broadcasting be governed in an era of widespread polarisation and distrust? How can any future governance arrangements ensure both independence and accountability? And what role should there be there for the public? We discuss these questions and others with an expert panel.

Speakers:

Professor Dame Diane Coyle – Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and former Vice Chair of the BBC Trust

Professor Georgina Born – Professor of Anthropology and Music at UCL

Sameer Padania – Fellow at Demos 

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Useful reading:

Georgina Born and Justin Lewis (eds.) (2025) Public service media: funding and governance options. The British Academy.

Diane Coyle (2024) ‘The Governance of the BBC’, The Political Quarterly, 95(1), pp. 20–24.

Sameer Padania, Hannah Perry, and Polly Curtis (2026) Our BBC: A blueprint for a more independent and future-proofed BBC. Demos.

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com