BBC3

In an completely predictable and short-sighted way, the BBC are going to scrap BBC3, and give serious concerns to BBC4's future too.

Surely, surely, there are more worthy (or unworthy, depending on your point of view) candidates for the BBC to pick on in their never-ending quest to save money?

The thing with BBC3 is it's quite quirky - full of weird things that mainstream BBC1 would never, ever broadcast. Back in 1969, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" would have been a BBC3 programme if the channel were about.

What message does this give out to  budding writers and performers?

A pretty clear one actually. "We're not interested!"

As time passes, the BBC is becoming more commercially-driven, so utter drivel like "Strictly Come Dancing" and "The Voice" passes as acceptable output for the Corporation. And in a commercial sense, they're correct, but in a moral sense they're so, so wrong. I hate having my brains sucked out on a Saturday night. Entertain me, yes! But also educate and inform me too.

I thought that was the BBC's remit?