Ratings1
Average rating4
Stourton's tribute to ‘Auntie' is as balanced as can be expected from a long-term BBC employee. It is a lively and widely researched study in which he argues that the affection of the BBC emerged from the Second World War years. During this period, it was a trusted friend at home and abroad. If ever there were a time when impartiality was at a justifiable discount. At this point the Government mobilised every branch of the media on behalf of the Allied war effort. That doesn't mean that Stourton's affectionate insider's view is uncritical. But it tends to accept the BBC's complicity with those in power as a given rather than a dereliction.
I listened to the abridged version available on BBC Sounds.