The government has told the BBC that the important thing is to provide entertainment and not drown in "worthy" ideas. The Beeb , must take fun serously according to Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell. She has set out the new guidelines that will govern BBC output over the next 10 years in a White Paper to the Commons.

While the 'independent' BBC isn't state controlled as such, the White Paper sets out conditions for renewal of the BBC's Royal Charter, it's license to broadcast, which expires at the end of the year.

The government has apparently spent the past two years consulting the public on what they want from the BBC. No body ever asked me, but perhaps that's because I don't have a TV anymore (but that hasn't stopped the Licensing 'Authority' from chasing me every couple of weeks). Nether-the-less, the government claims that audiences want entertainment above all else so say goodbye to investigative reporting (if such a thing still exists anyway) and say hello to more celebrity reality TV.

"There was strong public support for this.... ", claimed Ms Jowell. "Licence fee payers told us it all sounded a bit worthy." she continued.

Well, at least Indymedia is still free to publish unentertaining content ;-)