From Dailymail · · 1m 40s
BBC spends £2m on ad despite job cuts
BBC promotes £2m ad while planning 2,000 job cuts.
In brief
BBC promotes £2m ad while planning 2,000 job cuts. BBC spent £2m on a promotional ad despite plans to cut 2,000 jobs. Originally reported by Dailymail.
BBC ad spending
BBC spent £2m on promotional ad despite plans for 2,000 job cuts.
Ad details
Ad features Romesh Ranganathan and 100+ stars promoting BBC's importance.
FOI request
BBC spent £820,000 on media placement and promotion of ad.
Production cost
Industry experts estimate ad cost at least £1m to produce.
Ad director
Ad directed by Dougal Wilson, who also worked on John Lewis Christmas ad.
Licence fee increase
BBC raised licence fee to £180 per year.
Job cuts plan
BBC plans to cut 2,000 jobs and axe channels to save £500m.
Conservative criticism
Conservative leader says BBC should focus on quality programmes, not ads.
Romesh Ranganathan
Ranganathan earned £2m last year and defended ad role.
Ad parody
Ad parodies Monty Python's 'What have the Romans ever done for us?' sketch.
1986 ad
BBC used similar ad in 1986 with John Cleese.
1986 ad backlash
1986 ad sparked backlash for being 'nauseating' and 'toe-curling'.
Ad content
Ad includes Coldplay's Chris Martin and journalist Louis Theroux.
Theroux cameo
Theroux warns 'None of this exists if we don't want it to'.
BBC statement
BBC says it promotes services creatively for best value.
Public reaction
Critics accuse BBC of frittering away public money.
The essence
BBC spent £2m on a promotional ad despite plans to cut 2,000 jobs.
