Cerys Matthews: “We all need to defend our BBC”
Former Catatonia lead singer and 6 Music presenter says everybody needs to feel a sense of ownership of the BBC as the Corporation faces a crisis of confidence and funding
The BBC has a new champion in the form of a glamorous full-throated female lead singer of a majorly successful Welsh rock band from the 1990s.
Cerys Matthews, solo artist and former lead singer of the band Catatonia today told RadioTimes.com that the British public needs to stand up for the BBC – or risk losing it.
“We all need to defend the BBC,” she said at today’s launch of a raft of new arts programmes.
“We should all see it as our BBC. We need to remind everybody that we all own it.”
She was referring to the squeeze on funding faced by the BBC - something that prompted the Corporation to decide to commit to making BBC3 an online-only channel - as well as the increasing calls for the organisation to be funded by subscription and not a universal licence-fee.
Matthews, whose hit songs include Road Rage and Mulder and Scully for Catatonia, presents Cerys on 6 for the station.
However her fellow 6 Music Sunday presenter, former Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker, also spoke to RadioTimes.com at the event.
He revealed that he is is not mourning the demise of BBC3 because he believed young people are not interested in conventional television any more.
“Young people don’t watch television anyway – it’s all about tablets for them so we shouldn’t be too bothered,” he said.
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