Main content

Prince Harry’s girlfriend, a poorly goldfish and a “smart” TV – a year of top TV Licence excuses

Sian Healey

Head of Communications and Policy, TV Licensing

Tagged with:

Comments

TV Licensing’s job is to collect the Licence Fee in the most cost-efficient way to deliver the best value for the licence payer and ensure as much money as possible goes towards funding the BBC’s programmes and services. Every one percentage point rise in evasion costs the BBC £40m in lost revenue, so it’s important we work to ensure everyone is aware of licensing requirements.

We know licence fee payers think it’s fair we catch those who attempt to avoid paying, so our latest awareness campaign highlights the excuses people have given when caught watching live TV or BBC iPlayer without a licence over the past year and explains that however creative, these excuses won’t protect people from the consequences of evading.

To accompany the excuses we worked with comedian Kevin Eldon, who composed a selection of poems based on the excuses. You can see the results below and on the TV Licensing YouTube channel from today. The Top 10 excuses are listed at the bottom.

This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pm2xSyPOBQ
This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1B336EGpUg

The Top 10 excuses from the past year:

  • Sorry, I can’t buy a licence because I’m giving CPR to my goldfish.
  • My tag interferes with the TV signal.
  • I don’t watch the BBC [as the theme tune to EastEnders played out in the background]
  • I’ll pay it next year when the Rangers are back in the Premier League, pal.
  • I have a smart TV and it’s that smart it can work without a licence.
  • I don’t need a TV Licence because when we got divorced a court gave her half of everything. So I got the TV and she got the licence. Go find her!
  • I am exempt from buying a TV Licence, as I am Prince Harry’s girlfriend.
  • I am not paying for my licence now that the BBC are showing porn. Gary Lineker in the nude on Match of the Day – disgusting
  • [With reference to a flat screen TV showing The Simpsons] Customer: It's not a TV, it's an LCD fire. Enquiry Officer: And it's got Bart Simpson-shaped flames
  • I only have one leg, I shouldn’t have to pay.

Sian Healey is Head of Communications and Policy for TV Licensing

Tagged with:

Comments

More Posts

Previous

The next stage of a more personal BBC for everyone

Next

Round-up week 19 (6-12 May)