industry context - public service broadcasting

 public service broadcasting

) What is the BBC's mission statement?

The BBC's mission statement is to inform, educate and entertain. This means: to provide information; to support learning for people of all ages; to produce creative output; to have diverse content, and to reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and value to the world. 

2) How is the BBC funded?

The BBC is funded by the TV licence fee. Currently, the licence fee is currently £174.50 (subject to change) a year, which is around £15 a month. 

3) What must the BBC do to meet its public service broadcasting responsibilities? (Look at the five bullet points in the notes above).

To meet its public service broadcasting responsibilities, the BBC (according to its Royal Charter), must: provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them; support learning for people of all ages; show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services; reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions 

4) Who is the regulator for TV and Radio in the UK? You can find details on this in the notes above.

In the UK, TV and Radio is regulated by Ofcom (the Office of Communications).

5) How is TV and Radio regulated by Ofcom?

Ofcom regulates TV and Radio by overseeing all broadcasting channels and producing a broadcasting code, that every broadcaster must follow or face large fines and / or have their licence revoked. For example, in 2022, Ofcom removed RT (Russia Today) 's licence for continually broadcasting propaganda that favoured the Russian Government, breaking the rules that Ofcom have with impartiality. 

6) How do Doctor Who and His Dark Materials help the BBC to meet the BBC's remit to inform, educate and entertain? Answer this question in at least 150 words.

Doctor Who (specifically the 1963 CSP version) successfully follows two aspects of the BBC's mission statement, particularly to entertain and educate. As Doctor Who is a TV show, it inevitably entertains audiences by giving them a sense of diversion, allowing them to escape from their everyday problems by watching it. The episode An Unearthly Child presents this through its usage of the TARDIS, which helps audiences escape reality as the TARDIS defies laws of physics by being bigger on the inside than the outside. An Unearthly Child is also useful for educating audiences as its main premise is that the characters travel to different worlds and time periods through the TARDIS. In doing so, the show teaches audiences about different eras and worlds, through teaching different aspects of history, culture, etc. The 1963 version, however, may have some aspects in the episode that make it less effective at following the BBC's remit. 

His Dark Materials essentially only follows the entertainment aspect of the mission statement. This is accomplished through its complicated, fantasy-genre narrative following Lyra exploring different worlds, and its large, epic settings that allow audiences to escape from reality. It utilises CGI through the daemon, Pan, and multiple scenes, such as the scene of the witches flying, which create a sense of diversion as these aspects are impossible in reality. The show is less effective at educating and informing audiences as it explores fictional cities and stories, however, it may be good at educating audiences in representation. His Dark Materials subverts many stereotypes, such as stereotypes of race, through the Black witch, Ruta Skadi, and stereotypes of gender through the opposing scenes of Will cooking and Lyra failing to cook.