In a passionate address at the Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention on September 17, 2025, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy laid bare the mounting pressures facing Britain’s public service media, vowing government action to ensure its survival and relevance in an era of rapid digital transformation and growing social division.
Nandy’s speech, delivered to a packed room of television industry leaders, came days after the tumultuous "Unite the Kingdom" rally in London. The event, organized by activist Tommy Robinson, drew between 110,000 and 150,000 attendees and resulted in 26 police officers injured—four seriously—and 24 arrests for offenses ranging from affray to violent disorder. According to The Independent, Nandy referenced the rally as a stark reminder of the fractures running through British society and the urgent need for shared spaces and understanding.
"For too long, too many people have not been seen, their contribution not valued. The systems that are meant to pull in behind them too often work against them when they try to make change," Nandy said, echoing the anxieties of a nation grappling with social unrest and political polarization. She added, "That invisible chain that George Orwell described, that binds our nation together, needs to be nurtured. Because anger is only one part of this story. We all want to feel proud—proud of and part of our country and the places we live, that we love, where we bring up our kids and where we choose to grow old. That is the hope. That in the end, our best hope remains each other."
Nandy’s remarks underscored the government’s determination to "build an economy that works for people across the whole of the UK and to tilt power back to those with skin in the game," as she put it. But her focus quickly shifted to the media’s role in fostering unity and trust. She warned of a country "staring down two alternative paths: we can fall apart or we can rise together." In her view, public service media—particularly the BBC—remains a crucial force for cohesion, providing "higher levels of trust, higher quality debate, greater intolerance for corruption and shared national moments."
Yet, as Nandy and Ofcom have both warned, this vital part of the national fabric is under severe threat. Ofcom’s July 2025 report found that YouTube had become the second most-watched platform in the UK after the BBC, signaling a dramatic shift in viewing habits. The regulator urged the government to ensure that public service broadcasting (PSB) content remains prominent on platforms like YouTube, not just on traditional TV. Nandy made clear that the government is prepared to legislate if necessary: "Public service media content should be prominent on major video sharing platforms and on fair commercial returns. If we need to regulate, we will."
She did not mince words about the challenge: "Public service media is fighting to be seen and heard in an increasingly competitive market. It fights with one arm behind its back, staring down multiple challenges—funding shortfalls, changing viewing habits, and regulation that hasn’t kept pace with the media revolution of recent years." According to Deadline, Nandy’s comments were widely interpreted as a direct message to YouTube, which has so far declined to comment on Ofcom’s proposals.
In her speech, Nandy also addressed the blurring lines between news and opinion, a phenomenon she argued has "eroded trust in our media, democracy and most dangerously, in each other." She criticized networks like GB News for allowing high-profile politicians, such as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, to present current affairs shows, saying, "We will act to empower audiences further, so that not only do they see high-quality content, but they can distinguish between news and polemic, and misleading or false content." Ofcom’s consultation on politicians presenting news closed in June, and the government is awaiting its findings with interest.
Despite her strong defense of public service media, Nandy was candid about its shortcomings. She acknowledged her own previous criticisms of the BBC, including its handling of a controversial Glastonbury performance and the delay in addressing the withdrawal of a Gaza documentary narrated by the son of a Hamas official. "We hold the BBC to the highest standards in government and across Parliament, because it matters so much. Upholding basic editorial standards, whether in relation to Gaza or anything else, matters precisely because those voices from Palestine and every place where sunlight is needed, must be heard and must be trusted," she said.
Still, she was unequivocal in her praise for the BBC’s role as a pillar of national identity and a bulwark against division. "It is a light on the hill for people here and across the world and the best defence against the tide of toxic populism, fear and division that sows distrust and costs us the ability to understand one another," Nandy declared, echoing sentiments she has expressed repeatedly in recent months. She cited the BBC’s coverage of the VE Day broadcast and beloved Christmas programming like Gavin & Stacey and Wallace and Gromit as examples of the broadcaster’s unique capacity to create "shared national moments."
The government’s review of the BBC’s charter, which began in January 2017 and is set to expire in December 2027, looms large over these debates. The review will determine how the BBC is funded, with the current plan to increase the licence fee in line with inflation each year until 2027. Nandy emphasized, "Through the Charter Review we are determined to ensure the BBC remains relevant to audiences and that we feel a deep sense of connection with our national broadcaster. It must be able to command the trust of the public, provide honest, truthful and fearless reporting that holds power to account, however uncomfortable for those of us in public office."
She also called for greater diversity in the TV workforce and more commissioning outside London, arguing that "when what constitutes news and culture is determined and commissioned by a group of people who are drawn from just one background and one part of our country," the result is a media landscape that feels irrelevant to many. "It is not and never should be the job of the Government to determine who is heard and what is told. But I think many of us can see the problem," she said, urging the industry to "draw from the talent across our whole country to make and commission the stories that matter to most people."
Looking ahead, Nandy announced the forthcoming launch of a Green Paper on the BBC’s future and called on all stakeholders to participate in shaping the broadcaster’s next chapter. "Because the BBC belongs to all of us. Because the strong tradition of excellent media in our country must be treasured and nurtured in order to thrive, and because in the era we're living through, to thrive means to change," she concluded. "If I am asking a lot of you, it is because so much is at stake. There is no choice but to change—and that in turn presents all of us with a choice. To fall apart or rise together. This Government has chosen. Will you?"
Nandy’s words struck a chord in a media industry at a crossroads, wrestling with the twin imperatives of adaptation and integrity. As the UK navigates a fragmented media landscape and a divided society, the fate of its public service broadcasters may well determine whether the nation rises together or drifts further apart.
