Voting Station

BBC

Please vote to return to collections.

TV Network

The Resume

    (October 18, 1922- )
    British Broadcasting Corporation
    First radio broadcast on November 14, 1922
    First television broadcast on November 2, 1936
    Funded by a Royal Charter, but operates without government control
    Programs include 'The Goon Show,' 'Doctor Who,' 'Monty Python's Flying Circus,' 'I Claudius,' 'Are You Being Served?,' 'Fawlty Towers,' 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio),' 'EastEnders,' 'The Lord of the Rings (radio),' 'Yes, Minister,' 'Blackadder,' 'Absolutely Fabulous,' 'Teletubbies,' 'The Naked Chef,' 'The Weakest Link,' 'Coupling' and 'The Office'
    Broadcast productions of every Shakespeare play in the 1970's
    Motto is 'Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation'
    Nicknamed 'Auntie,' 'The Beeb' or 'Auntie Beeb'

Why BBC might be annoying:

    It was created for a single purpose: to sell radios!
    It didn't begin serious news coverage of World War II until 1943, opting instead for fluffy 'morale-boosting' entertainments.
    It became so boring in the 1950's that a new network, ITV, took 72% of its audience.
    BBC was accused of being a puppet of Margaret Thatcher's administration.
    During the U.S.-led war with Iraq, it was accused of having an anti-war bias, with some even calling it 'Baghdad Broadcasting Corp.'
    Top network officials resigned after politicians criticized a controversial BBC report on WMDs in Iraq (2003).
    It is known for stodgy, snail-paced costume dramas.
    It produced 'Teletubbies' and many other excruciating programs shown on America's PBS.
    It is often considered the dullest, least challenging of British networks.
    It is responsible for countless nerdy Americans reciting lines in fake English accents.

Why BBC might not be annoying:

    It predated the earliest American network, NBC, by four years.
    When Winston Churchill tried to control the network's news reporting, its General Manager got Parliament to stand up for him.
    It carried the first broadcast of a British monarch speaking to his subjects.
    It covered the first televised British coronation and Wimbledon tournament.
    By the end of World War II, even Joseph Goebbels admitted it was the greatest information system in Europe.
    It produced popular and intelligent programs like 'Doctor Who,' 'I Claudius,' 'Fawlty Towers' and 'Absolutely Fabulous' on very small budgets.
    Its 'Live Aid' concert raised over $100 million for starving Ethiopians (1985).
    Many Britons feel the criticism of the network over Iraq was unfair.
    BBC became such a regular part of British life that it got the nickname 'Auntie.'

Credit: Wieland Kalligaro


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 126 Votes: 42.06% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 146 Votes: 45.89% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 201 Votes: 42.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 115 Votes: 48.70% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 37 Votes: 51.35% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 21 Votes: 61.90% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 58 Votes: 75.86% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 29 Votes: 89.66% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 32 Votes: 53.12% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 42 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 54 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 72 Votes: 70.83% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 52 Votes: 44.23% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 48 Votes: 52.08% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 105 Votes: 44.76% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 137 Votes: 45.99% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 223 Votes: 42.15% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 358 Votes: 44.69% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 162 Votes: 43.83% Annoying