Over-75s must be allowed to retain free TV licences - Clive Smith

Imagine fighting for your country during D-Day and then, 75 years later, being forced to pay to watch the documentaries and special shows the BBC made about it.That’s what’s going to happen now the BBC has decided to scrap free TV licences for the over-75s.
D-Day veterans will have to pay to watch BBC films about the Normandy landings Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesD-Day veterans will have to pay to watch BBC films about the Normandy landings Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
D-Day veterans will have to pay to watch BBC films about the Normandy landings Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

So people are cancelling their licences in droves and the BBC has to target the captive audience, the easy target in the elderly. Perhaps if the BBC stopped making rubbish and wasn’t so biased people would be more inclined to switch on to it again.

There is going to be uproar when pensioners start getting jailed for non-payment.

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It’s an alarming thought that there will be enforcement officers harassing the frail and easily-confused on their doorsteps.

What is the extra money generated going to be spent on? More resources to police the non-payers and elderly through the courts or on producing better content?

I suppose Gary Lineker and Graham Norton can rest easy knowing any financial anxieties they have will be eased.

Let’s not worry about lonely old Doris whose only form of companionship was the TV, but now she’s in prison because she can’t afford to pay so she’ll have plenty of company now.

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Its time they made the showing of BBC programmes along the same lines as Sky Sports or Netflix. You only pay for it if you want to watch it.

People are being bent over a barrel every month for something they don’t even want to watch. It’s mad if you think about it.

With so many more channels and viewing methods it’s no longer right we are forced to pay for a service we don’t use.

There’s enough quality and better entertainment on other platforms so there’s no need to watch the BBC. It’s just repeats, endless cooking and antique programmes in various different formats.

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I expect it won’t be long before we see a cooking/antiques mash-up – Ainsley Harriott knocking up an omelette on some limited-edition Clarice Cliff dinner plate and David Dickinson telling us it’s the ‘real deal’​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.

Women prefer dad bods – so why did I sign up for gym?

A survey (ironically carried out by a gym company) has found that women prefer men with ‘dad bods’ rather than six packs.

I’ve been going to the gym regularly since January and now this comes out. A man can’t win. The gym membership was cancelled and pizzas ordered asap after this revelation.

I’m not having these results anyway. Yes, women say they like a ‘dad bod’ but when you say you’re only going out for a pint and then roll in the next morning you’re called a fat, selfish so-and-so.

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And then you’re on the beach when a shredded 6ft 3in Viking with a ridiculous eight-pack wanders by and you can hear nothing but women sighing.

Lesbian attack victims’ views on Boris are quite irrelevant

I’m sure most of us saw the picture of the lesbian couple attacked on a bus and can agree these things shouldn’t be happening.

But why are they now being wheeled out on Channel 4 to give their opinion on Boris Johnson? It’s another case of a biased media putting its agenda before impartiality.

I like lesbians as much as the next man, but why have they suddenly become political commentators? Trying to make a link between Boris and these attacks is transparent and detracts from the seriousness of the incident.

One victim said people only empathised with her because she’s white and cisgender. How ungrateful can someone be?

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