Of 'EastEnders' and James Purnell

The Rise and Fall of the BBC Empire

Talking of Toytown, I see that some MPs have taken time out from mismanaging Brexit in order to condemn the BBC for mismanaging the building of a new Eastenders set.

The £87 million project is running £27 million over budget and five years behind schedule. (I'm tempted to say 'very BBC').

This is costing BBC licence fee payers money. (I'm again tempted to say 'very BBC'). 

The Public Accounts Committee accused the BBC of "complacency". According to the Telegraph:

A BBC spokesman said: "We welcome the committee's recognition of the importance of the E20 project. However, we strongly reject the notion that there has been any complacency.".

So said a blatantly complacent BBC spokesman. 

Richard Morrison, writing in The Times, calls it a "fiasco":

To put this fantastical figure in some sort of real-life context, with £87 million you could build 250 affordable homes for actual East Enders. And to put it in another sort of context, this jaw-dropping overspend comes as the BBC is trying to make £800 million of savings. True, that’s partly because it will soon have to pick up the bill for free TV licences for the over-75s, but it also lavishes millions each week on astronomical fees for “talent” and inflated salaries for its executives, 100 of whom earn more than £150,000 a year.

He continues:

Then there’s the £10 million spent on promoting the new BBC Sounds app. That’s the BBC’s belated and (so far) blundering attempt to woo more young listeners by breaking into the streaming market dominated by Spotify. BBC Sounds is the pet scheme of James Purnell, a failed politician whose 15 minutes of fame as culture secretary was chiefly notable for the mind-boggling revelation that he had claimed £247 in expenses for 3,000 fridge magnets. Now he’s on a tolerable £315,000 a year as the BBC’s director of radio and education.

Harsh but true about the ex-Blairite minister now in charge of BBC radio? 

Well, whatever. But wild BBC profligacy where wild profligacy isn't remotely needed and brutal cost-cutting where brutal cost-cutting probably isn't needed seems to be becoming a hallmark (LordHallmark?) of the present-day BBC.