Mike Graham clashes with John Mair over BBC licence fee
Talk TV's Mike Graham issued a ban warning to ex-BBC producer John Mair as they clashed over whether people should be jailed for not paying the BBC's licence fee. The TV presenter warned that the former BBC employee would be "banned" from the shows for his "ghastly" views.
Mr Mair had said that people should face a penalty for not paying up as he compared it to "not paying car tax". He said: "If you don't pay your car tax, you get locked up. If you don't pay council tax, you get locked up."
Mike was seemingly outraged as he passionately disagreed. He said: "You should not be locked up for not watching television, should you?" John hit back saying: "But you're getting a service."
Without holding back, the Talk TV host ripped into the show's guest. He exclaimed: "I can't believe you're not condemning this, John. We may have to ban you from the show for being outrageously ghastly! I have to cancel you unless you condemn this ridiculous ruling."
Speaking over the presenter, Mr Mair tried to defend his views as he said: "The licence fee is an archaic system. Something needs to be done to bring it up to date.
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"You know my view. I think there should be a hybrid licence for £100, you get everything from the BBC and anything else you pay for the other side of the app."
Mike then pointed out that since 1995, there have been nearly 2,200 people locked up in prison for not paying their TV licence "by the BBC". Mr Mair responded asking where he had got his facts from while adding: "The BBC doesn't lock people up."
Exasperated, Mike yelled: "Well they do! They've just locked up 2,100 of them. You've asked for proof, I've given it to you. Like all Lefties, you can't accept it."
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The former BBC producer explained: "The BBC is not a police force. They don't lock people up. People don't pay their licence fees, they go to court, and they usually get a little fine."
Both of the men continued to talk over each other, firing out their own views and opinions, before Mike ended the chat by saying: "You're a very bad man John, a very bad man. I can't have this."
From April 2024 the TV Licence, which is used to fund BBC TV services as well as some other public service functions like Welsh channel S4C, is set at £169.50 per year, or about £14 a month on Direct Debit.
