Noel Edmonds Tells BBC He's Cancelled His Licence

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Noel Edmonds Tells BBC He's Cancelled His Licence Sept 13, 2008 21:47:58 GMT

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Post by Teddy Bear on Sept 13, 2008 21:47:58 GMT

I have to say I haven't been much of a fan of Noel Edmonds, particularly on Deal or No Deal, but he's really gone up in my esteem following this interview he gave on BBC News TV when he admitted to cancelling his TV licence because of the gestapo-like tactics employed by TVL.
The country needs many more like him.
(hat-tip 'Manager' of the Anti-TVL Forum)

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Noel Edmonds Tells BBC He's Cancelled His Licence Sept 14, 2008 23:06:01 GMT

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Post by Teddy Bear on Sept 14, 2008 23:06:01 GMT

The Daily Mail runs an article on this story

Noel Edmonds: 'I won't pay TV licence because of 'threatening' BBC adverts
By James Tapper
Last updated at 1:54 AM on 14th September 2008

Noel Edmonds is refusing to pay his television licence fee in protest at 'threatening' BBC adverts promising to catch evaders.

The former Noel's House Party presenter, who was the BBC's main Saturday night host for a decade, said he was prepared to face prosecution for his stand against the Corporation's advertising campaigns.

Edmonds accused the BBC of wanting to 'badger, hector and threaten people' over the £139.50 charge in its commercials and poster adverts, which warn viewers it is 'impossible to hide'.

Noel Edmonds confesses to not having a TV licence live on BBC 1 Breakfast news

The Deal Or No Deal host decided not to renew his licence four months ago and faces a £1,000 fine if prosecuted.

Faced with the snub, TV Licensing, which is responsible for collecting the fee, said it was 'looking into' his case.

Asked if Edmonds was prepared to go to court over his stance, his spokesman Mark Borkowski said: 'Noel has told me he is prepared for the consequences.'

Noel tells Charlie Stayt and Suzanna Reid he cancelled his TV licence and few months ago and is waiting for the TV detector vans to come and get him

Speaking on BBC Breakfast News Edmonds, who made his name at the Corporation as a presenter on Radio 1, said: 'I worked for the BBC for 30 years.

Noel was the BBC's main Saturday night presenter for a decade
'When I was there it promoted the licence fee by saying how wonderful it was. But now Auntie's put boxing gloves on.

'I am not going to have the BBC or any other organisation threatening me. I've cancelled my TV licence and they haven't found me. Nobody's coming knocking on my door.

'There are too many organisations that seem to think it is OK to badger, hector and threaten people.'

Edmonds's comments come after numerous complaints about the advertising campaign.

The four adverts, launched in April, warn viewers: 'Your town, your street, your home - it's all in the database', adding that it is 'impossible to hide' if you don't pay.

Viewers and commentators have compared it to George Orwell's novel 1984.

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons admitted last week: 'The right balance needs to be struck between ensuring compliance with the law and avoiding any disproportionate heavy-handedness.'

TV Licensing said: 'Anyone caught watching or recording TV without a licence risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.'

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Noel Edmonds Tells BBC He's Cancelled His Licence Sept 16, 2008 20:01:35 GMT

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Post by Teddy Bear on Sept 16, 2008 20:01:35 GMT

What's especially interesting about the following article concerning Noel Edmonds is this:
Eric Dancer, Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, said that in light of the comments he would investigate whether Edmonds should lose his ceremonial position (deputy Lieutenant of Devon) after admitting to a crime, according to The Times

It makes one despair that such fools gain public office and have any responsibility. Instead of integrity they seem to jump on what they perceive as the 'righteous' bandwagon. Noel Edmonds DID NOT admit to a crime you moron Eric Dancer, he merely cancelled his TV licence. While it's possible he may be watching live TV, he did not admit to this. It's up to TVL to try and prove any guilt or crime, and if Noel knows his rights, they might find it very difficult to do this.

Any readers who want to know their rights in this respect can find out about it here.

Noel Edmonds may lose title after licence fee boycott
Television presenter Noel Edmonds may be stripped of his title of Deputy Lieutenant of Devon after refusing to pay BBC licence fee.

By Jessica Salter
Last Updated: 11:46AM BST 15 Sep 2008

Noel Edmonds has worked on the BBC for 30 years Photo: Christopher Jones
The former host of Noel's House Party announced at the weekend that he would be leading a boycott of the £139.50 fee after describing the BBC of "hectoring and threatening" the public.

The Deal Or No Deal host said he decided not to renew his licence four months ago. He will face a £1,000 fine if prosecuted.

Eric Dancer, Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, said that in light of the comments he would investigate whether Edmonds should lose his ceremonial position after admitting to a crime, according to The Times.

Mr Edmonds's position, which carries the blessing of the Queen, involves assisting the Lord-Lieutenant in arranging the monarch's visits to Devon, leading the local magistracy and hearing grievances between citizens and tax officials.

Mr Dancer said: "If a deputy did do something that was a criminal offence, I'm sure that people who commit serious misdemeanours are not allowed to continue to serve."

Speaking on BBC Breakfast News Mr Edmonds said: "I worked for the BBC for 30 years. When I was there it promoted the licence fee by saying how wonderful it was. But now Auntie's put boxing gloves on.

"I am not going to have the BBC or any other organisation threatening me. I've cancelled my TV licence and they haven't found me. Nobody's coming knocking on my door.

"There are too many organisations that seem to think it is OK to badger, hector and threaten people."

When asked if he was prepared to go to court, his spokesman Mark Borkowski said: "Noel has told me he is prepared for the consequences."

A TV Licensing spokesperson said: "Irrespective of Noel Edmonds's personal opinion, the law is clear: anyone caught watching or recording TV programmes without a licence risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000."

Last Edit: Sept 16, 2008 20:09:10 GMT by Teddy Bear

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Noel Edmonds Tells BBC He's Cancelled His Licence Nov 17, 2008 22:34:37 GMT

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Post by Teddy Bear on Nov 17, 2008 22:34:37 GMT

I'm glad to say that Noel Edmunds is pushing ahead with his vow to not pay the license fee by joining others of the same thought. Let's hope this protest becomes a revolution. I notice that Vladimir Bukovsky, mentioned below, used to run a BBCBias Website that seems to have disappeared. I hope he'll start another in the light of this popular uprising.

Edmonds backs campaign against paying TV licence fee

By Chris Johnson

BBC chiefs are facing a celebrity-led rebellion against paying the licence fee.
Topping the list is Deal Or No Deal host Noel Edmonds who has joined ranks with a 2,000-strong army of protesters refusing to pay-up.
But, it has emerged, the BBC is turning a blind eye to the non-payers amid claims the corporation is creating a wave of 'martyrs'.
This is despite the penalty of a maximum £1,000 fine or even jail for ordinary viewers refusing to pay the £139.50 annual fee.

Edmonds, who worked at the BBC for more than 30 years, attacked the 'threatening' adverts that promise to catch evaders.
The 59-year-old quiz show host said he placed more emphasis on 'value for money' rather than using 'bullyboy tactics to extract money from people'.
Another protester, Spectator columnist Charles Moore, has said he will not renew his TV licence if the corporation continues to employ Jonathan Ross, who is paid £6million a year.
Ross was suspended from the BBC for three months without pay after he and Russell Brand provoked outrage by making obscene phone calls to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs, 78, last month.
Brand resigned from his Radio 2 show following the public outcry.

Mr Moore said: 'I don’t think it’s right to pay the licence fee for something which is insulting to the public.'
One non-payment campaign has been orchestrated by Russian dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, 65, who spent more than 10 years in Soviet labour camps and psychiatric hospitals.
He says he decided to stop paying the fee in 2002. Six years on he still has no licence - but has never been prosecuted.
Bukovsky, of Cambridge, says the BBC had breached its royal charter which requires the broadcaster to provide fair and balanced coverage of issues such as the European Union and the Middle East.
And he says the other 2,000 who joined his campaign have also not had any legal action taken against them - although TV Licensing (TVL), the body that collects the levy on behalf of the BBC, disputes this.

'Virtually no one was bothered,' said Bukovsky. 'It seems the BBC didn’t want to walk into the trap and make me a martyr.

'I wanted people to see images of me being handcuffed and dragged into court . . . but instead the BBC retreated quietly.'
TVL says it prosecuted 151,137 people last year for failing to pay.

It insisted the figure included who objected to the payment 'on principle'.
A spokesperson for TVL said: 'TV Licensing can and does prosecute people who refuse to pay the licence fee, whatever their reasons for doing so.
'We can't comment on the reasons behind prosecution decisions we take on specific cases, but we have prosecuted people who object to paying on a point of principle, and would not shy away from doing so.

'It would therefore be very wrong if anyone were to conclude from this particular article that they stand any chance of evading the fee without risking prosecution, a criminal conviction and a fine of up to £1,000.'

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