Biased BBC reader and writer David Sedgwick has an interesting post here that I commend to you. Give it a read and say hello to him please!
“Well I finally did it, after months – nay years of prevarication – I’ve finally gone and dumped the BBC. And it feels good, very, very good. I can only describe the feeling as that of when, after years of giving second, third and fourth chances, you finally rid yourself of that toxic girl/boyfriend.”
Hello David, welcome,
Amazon Prime (annual about half licence fee).
£70 left over for Xmas goodies.
All legal.
But you will have to forgo the vital Mrs. Brown’s Boys bumper edition, sadly.
Scrapped my TV some months ago when I sold my flat. Letter from licensing says they will review the situation. Now visiting my mum who is elderly and doesn’t have to pay !
Surely if you watch Amazon Prime on your tv you still need a license?
I have tried finding the in’s and out’s of having to have a license or not and all I find is conflicting stories every where I go.
Nope. It is catchup.
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ104
Interestingly there is a TVC featuring Clarkson running for some dongle thing, and it does have the iPlayer logo featured.
When the rules changed we obliterated it from our tabs. Only 5, 4 & itv now on post live.
i dumped them 5 or 6 years ago
still get the relentless “we’ve started an investigation” and “what to expect in court” spam letters from capita……would have enough to paper a decent sized room by now if I had kept them
had the great pleasure of ordering a so called licence inspector of my property once.Tried to insist on me letting him in to the house…..i finally just told him if he wasnt up my drive in 60 seconds he would be physically encouraged to do so 🙂
needless to say the ball-less git complied without further verbal instruction being necessary
they dont even know my name…..i just get letters addressed to “the legal occupier”….good luck prosecuting him boys
oh and by the way
just get yourself a good kodi box……you’ll never look back
Demanding money when they deliberately flaunt their charter requirement on impartiality is extortion and fraud.
Just don’t pay it.
One good thing I’ve noticed about ditching the telly (apart from saving money and cleansing oneself of leftist propaganda) is that watching catch-up TV or Youtube on the computer requires more of an active effort. Instead of passively slumping in front of a box all night idly flicking through channels, I choose one or two hours maximum of things to view per evening which I’m genuinely interested in; quite often I don’t watch anything at all and do something else instead like go to the pub or do some cooking.
I agree, Cranmer, a definite benefit. Even so, I still do not have time for all the reading I would like!
All of you that have stopped paying the LF have some guts. Unfortunately I suspect that there are many like me who don’t have the guts to do it on our own. I would join a movement , a LF strike, if there was such a thing , indeed I would help with its organisation if I knew what to do. I’m sure that most news outlets , envious of the BBCs state funding and perhaps opposed to its liberal bias, would ensure that a LF strike received maximum publicity and I don’t think that the BBCwould be able to do anything about it if enough people joined. Does anyone know how to capitalise on the guts of the above pioneers?
Double,
I do not blame you. You face a potential criminal record over something that should just be a civil matter of non-payment of a debt. It is Fascism !
If others in the household can be persuaded, do it legally, go Licence free and do not watch any broadcast TV.
Apparently, it is something of a social trend now to watch films and box sets, perhaps ‘binging’ on the latter ie. watching the whole thing in one or two goes.
eBay is a sort of pay-per-view Library of the good stuff as well as the very best programming of legend.
David, I cancelled my TV licence tax three years ago, and at the same time cancelled my Virgin account. With the monthly savings, I put it towards a new car, which is more fuel efficient so I got an even bigger saving. And I’ve probably avoided a heart attack by not having my blood pressure go off the chart by the sodding bbc’s collectivist rhetoric and propaganda. I now occasionally listen to Radio 3 and sometimes Radio 4Extra (but they’ve ruined that station with feminisation and ethnicisation, so there’s little I want to listen to these days). The bbc tax collectors seem to contact me every two years, which they did last year; I called them to say me circumstances have not changed and so far, they’ve left me alone.
For a lot of Biased-BBC commentators I imagine the main problem is that either they have spouses/kids who would miss the family time settling down in front of the TV, even if they only watch live Sky broadcasts, or mums who utilise Cbeebies to keep the kids occupied.
As a single bloke I don’t need to worry about that. For me, let alone the politics shoehorned into almost everything – the quality of the programs is 90% awful anyway so I know I’m not missing much.
One in every 10 BBC4 documentaries weren’t bad admittedly, but otherwise can you live without such offerings as cake baking, ballroom dancing, Eastenders, global warming science, doing-up-your-house, Marxist dramas, Question Time, silly quiz shows, HIGNFY, ‘brits were bad to gay and/or coloured people’ documentaries etc.?
You bet I can live without all that shite! If you decide you can too join the club and cancel that licence!
ima,
But , face it, you will miss ” Strictly Come Baking “.
I’ll grant you on the toddlers, but even then I am pretty sure online and download can cover their needs.
As for our kids they stopped watching TV aged about 12. Everything was via the laptop since then. I have sent them the full briefing on halls of residence and shared accommodation legalities.
What’s interesting is what can crop up online, down the line anyway, especially in history or natural history areas.
The BBC is still trading on nostalgia from its glory days and expects loyalty indefinitely. They are too stupid and arrogant to realise that with the inevitable march of time and enforced population changes that that goodwill is in a steep decline, and that’s without deliberating alienating viewers as they do.
The only thing decent on the BBC currently is its specialist music output (such as late night shows on Radio 1) but as a great Lancashire man once sang, you don’t need a licence for that!
For those considering ditching their licence fee, whether legally or not, the best website to get information and to be empowered on this is TV LICENCE RESISTANCE
Teddy Bear, I would add that http://www.tvlicenceresistance.info/forum/index.php does NOT offer advice on illegal TV watching.
Would love to ditch the bBC but they have a secret weapon and he’s called Mr Tumble on CBeebies. I have a two-year-old grandson and when he comes around he usually screams the place down except when Mr Tumble is on, or Justin’s House (for those who don’t know it’s the same bloke).
I also have a nine-year-old granddaughter who thought CBeebies was a bit babyish at the age of five. She now watches CBBC. Except that she doesn’t most of the time but she insists on having the TV on while she fiddles around with her i-phone (yes I know, but you will need to speak to her mother!). This means that I end up listening to Nadiya on Junior Bake Off (think she’s found her level there) and the delightful Susan Calman hosting a quiz show. Oh joy….
Now you have done it.
Lord Hall Hall will be spending the rest of the year telling the nation that Mr. Tumble is vital, I tell you… vital!
Especially since Sherlock’s cast seems set on making him look bad.
Remember the law is you need to have a licence to watch live broadcasts it’ s NOT for owning or being in possession of a TV . Even if it is connected to an ariel . They have to prove you are watching live broadcasts you don’t have to prove your innocence , and having possession of a TV is not proof that you are watching live broadcasts .
They drive to your house in cars that are capable of breaking the speed limit . They are not done for breaking the speed limit . Possession of a car that can break the speed limit it not proof that you break the speed limit . Ditto with mobile phones and driving .
I would also add that TVL have NO RIGHT OF ENTRY into your home. They have the same rights as a door to door salesman – and you do not have to answer any questions or provide any information. You can also prevent harassment by them if this is what they are doing.
You do not have to prove that you don’t watch live TV, it is for them to prove that you do. Unless there are obvious signs that you are, like live TV on in the front room and visible from the road, then they cannot just get a search warrant.
It’s worth knowing your rights, whatever you decide to do.
There is no legal obligation to respond to TV Licensing* letters or to answer any doorstep enquiries. Simply refuse to communicate with them and close the door. There is nothing they can do about that. They have as much authority as a double-glazing salesman.
TV “Detector Vans” are a colossal myth – NOBODY has ever been prosecuted for licence fee evasion by a TV “Detector Van”. Not once in 60 years of propaganda.
* TV Licensing is a BBC owned and operated brand name. It is used by their principle contractor, Capita Services plc among others. The BBC retains overall responsibility for their actions. The door-knocking Goon is a BBC subcontractor, despite the erroneous impression that TV Licensing is a neutral third-party.
Seems like we are on the same track John. Just saw your post as I finished mine. 😉
Teddy Bear, looks like we’re both familiar with TVLR! 😉
I used to post a lot on the original website by Erik Oostveen and Jonathan Miller. Sorry to see it’s crashed since then and never been restored, but was able to get a lot of valuable information at the time, most of it still current and pertinent.
Glad to see somebody else is carrying on the good work.
Cheers John 🙂
Teddy Bear, you’d be most welcome at TVLR.
I appreciate that John 🙂
I know there are many others there who have a greater knowledge of the ins and outs of TVL than myself. In the meantime I’m looking for the BBC jugular, as are we all.
I stopped paying the TV licence several years ago. A waste of money. Now I only use the TV for viewing videos.
Welcome, David, and well done on going legally Licence free. I did that over eleven years ago and now do not miss TV except for the occasional special event or one or two sports that I enjoy. Whether that will change with the removal of iPlayer since 1 September remains uncertain. So far, it has made no difference.
If you get annoyed, intimidated or fed-up with the continual harassment in writing and on-line from TV Licencing, I suggest formally drawing their attention, in writing, to the provisions of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and asking them to cease and desist.
This status update from facebook on my own page actually drew complaints from .. well you can guess who…… it is a true account of a visit I recieved… I now have a notice from them stating that I have withdrawn rights of access (automatically too!!!)
Hope you enjoy it….
Thanks for posting JC, I’d like to see Watchdog take up the baton now and investigate just exactly how Capita operate at the front door.
The two most surprising outcomes of the visit were first, how easily it was to hit a raw nerve by asking in a really loud assertive voice firstly for him to leave and making sure all the nieghbours heard me identifying him as a TVL goon ..( Ensuring none of my nieghbours would answer thier doors to him and losing him potential £25 commisions for that afternoon….) The clincher though had to be my questions regarding the morality of generating funds to ensure the BBC would have money to pay for both the covering up of peadophilie and also the enabling of further sexual criminality against children by those whose names were `redacted` with a black marker pen in thier infamous independent review/enquiry which resulted in nobody being charged or even arrested.. These people are lowlifes and they`re used to being able to bully people and as far as I am concerned they are as guilty as the peadophiles who commit the crimes… I`ll dig out the letter I recieved and scan it and post it here so you can all see for yourselves that my approach works… As long as you can get them to attempt physical violence on you first and as long as it is on your property you are legally allowed to use reasonable force to defend yourself and also to remove them from your property… This is the law, even if a police officer attacked you first and he didn`t have a legal warrant you are legally entitled to do the same… Every word of my post is factually accurate, try it for yourselves…..
I haven’t had a TV or TV licence for over 10 years. Right now I’m watching Quest live on the PC – no need for a licence. BBC radio live and catch up is free, all I miss out on is BBC TV. Loads of free stuff to watch online, before you even get to Amazon & NetFlix. Plus I’ve got plenty of DVDs.
I have been thinking of cancelling my tv licence for a few years, the only thing that stops me is my wife who sits and watches the usual crap,we have an Amazon stick and most of what I watch is on Netflix,my two boys don’t pay in their house, they have netflix etc and know to refuse entry to a BBC goon.
I don’t even have to pay for netflix or amazon prime as my lads set me up on their accounts despite being in another house two miles away.
They await your visit eagerly
Ditched mine ages ago.
Being out ‘in the sticks’ , what’s all this about Amazon Prime?
More reasons to avoid paying the BBC TV license were made this week. The BBC wants to launch a World wide (radio) iPlayer for 500 million (potential) listeners. ‘Radio NetFlix’ so called but in practice it will be entirely funded by the BBC TV license.
It will be used to impress far flung countries that listening to the BBC is the next best thing to sliced bread and how to be a liberal Marxist and argue the ‘viewpoint’. (BBC ‘Subscription’ is mentioned : – are you kidding BBC? – who the heck would pay for it in a third world country?).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/23/bbc-go-global-new-radio-service-create-netflix-spoken-word/
And then it was only last year that the BBC proposed to take over all regional PRESS news stories with its own interpretation of local events. (Such a Rotherham would be re-interpreted as a particular multi-cultural success). And then the muzzling of the free local (or national) press is a large part of what the BBC intends to do. This is from the Times leader comment – only last year (September 2015).
The BBC plans to fund a network of 100 ‘public service reporters’ around the country to provide coverage… (its not the first time that LORD hall wants a massive ‘expansion’ of the BBC world-wide and undermine the local ‘free’ news PRESS – out of business… There is no doubt that the BBC seeks to ‘control’ the newspapers in the UK using its monopoly and TV license fee to fund it all (and then it does get secret ‘funding’ from Saudi and EU to create such news in the first place. Islamic tolerance and integration is the unquestionable ‘message’from the BBC as it is from ISIS to surrender and world domination in far flung areas where only the BBC can ‘reach’.
Published September 7 2015
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/leaders/article4549115.ece
I have uploaded the full article cutting as this is a very important point as to how much we allow the BBC to pollute the airways (and charge us all – here in the UK for the privilge of its ‘news and opinion’ which is based on mis-information and bias. The BBC is NOT independent. That much is clear..
http://i64.tinypic.com/25quf6t.jpg[/IMG][/img]
or
http://tinypic.com/r/25quf6t/9
Have just read the excellent post by David Sedgwick’s [blogpost]. I would like to add that the ROKU stick (mentioned in the blog) is available online and from the many MAPLIN stores acround the UK at under £30 right now. I am tempted to buy one for Christmas and finally ‘stuff the BBC turkey’ offerings. I am sure it can be found cheaper over Black Friday (which is today). Go hunting!
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/roku-3500eu-streaming-stick-n18ej
Just bought one for £19 on ebay from TESCO.
Does a ROKU stick work with a laptop? I don’t have a working TV but watch very occasionally on BBC i-player, etc. I’m thinking of cancelling my TV Poll Tax direct debit.