Your Letters: November 11

Once upon a time the BBC had a reputation for the excellent dramas produced on both TV and radio. It also had a first class local radio network all over the country. The sports coverage was second to none. Documentaries were always excellent too, but no longer dramas? Well many are either independently made then "bought" by the corporation. Or just bought in from abroad. Or even worse, they start off a decent series, eg The Last Kingdom, then allow a subscription channel to take it away from them.

Local Radio - it's being gutted by the 'suits and bean counters' who say its too expensive in its present form. Sport? Mass interest sports - cricket, football and rugby have all been lost because the BBC 'can't afford' to compete with subscription channels. Now documentaries are surviving, but how much if this is down to individual presenters?

The BBC advertises itself as 'Your BBC'. Poppycock, it's their BBC, paying out huge salaries to the 'talent' and executives with little, if any, thought to their customers (the viewing/listening public).

On November 6 there seemed to be only one item of news, the USA presidential election. The 10pm news seemed to be 40 minutes about the election then the weather forecast. I might be wrong but I wasn't aware of anything else on that programme. Yes I appreciate its importance, but not to the exclusion of everything else.

Yet we have to pay a sizeable amount to watch TV or risk a record and court appearance. Is it any surprise that younger people are switching away from watching anything on terrestrial television? Many older people seem keen on that idea too.

The corporation had what seemed battalions of staff all over the world, no doubt many flown there and expenses and salaries to boot, yet still puts lots of repeats and bought in programmes on their channels. It's no surprise that they say they can't fund free TV licences for over 75s, unless they're on means tested benefits. Yet pays out huge amounts to 'talent' and foreign produced programmes, never mind the seemingly endless repeats.

So executives at the BBC get your act together and produce the good product as you did in the past.

Michael Gough, Wombourne

WE MUST TACKLE RISE OF HATRED

I once watched a performance of Cabaret at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn. Set in the gritty and hedonistic Kit Kat Club of 1930s Berlin, the musical follows a cast of characters trying to navigate a city gripped by social and political turbulence. While the show presents itself as a comedy, it carries a sinister undertone, revealing the increasingly oppressive atmosphere surrounding those who were, in many ways, at the mercy of rising fascism – especially Jewish communities and other vulnerable groups. What begins as light-hearted entertainment soon reveals a darker side, offering an unsettling look at life in Berlin before the Holocaust and the Second World War.

Watching it, I felt deeply moved and have often said since then that we must never let history repeat itself. At the time, it was easy to believe that the horrors portrayed on stage were locked safely in the past. But disturbingly, I see echoes of that era today – this time, largely in London. Once again, the Jewish community finds itself under attack, subject to intimidation and hostility. And, as in Berlin during the 1930s, the authorities – particularly the police – seem to be standing back, observing from a distance, often doing little to prevent the escalation of prejudice and violence. 

There’s a dangerous apathy in this inaction, a failure to recognise the slippery slope we’re treading. It serves as a chilling reminder that such horrors don’t erupt overnight; they creep in gradually, taking root in communities until, suddenly, the unthinkable becomes reality. We cannot afford to be passive or complacent. If we are to avoid repeating history, we must confront hatred and intolerance wherever we see it and demand that those in power do the same. 

Paul Wiseman, West Mids

NORBERT'S ADVICE ON SAVING CASH

With the dry weather Uncle Norbert and I are still strolling around making sure the Shropshire countryside is behaving itself. Any thoughts of reinstating our Colonel Bogey Shorts were quickly dismissed having indulges in a month's worth of Aunt Dolly's afternoon cake. So as we stroll we decide to help the nation by passing on our top tips of how to save money at Christmas.

Tell friends and relations that if any of them have a birthday within six months of Christmas day they will only get a birthday present as their birthday is so close to the big day.

Change to a non-Christian religion for two months.

Expecting relatives to drop in unannounced near the big day? Then change all the house locks, buy night vision glasses and keep the lights switched off, ensure an emergency supply of food and drink are kept in the loft.

To deter carol singers, seeking cash but no cheques, erect a sign by the front gate reading, "Tory Party HQ Come & Join."

Peter Steggles, West Mids

DIG OUT BONDS!

I was looking through old papers to sort out and I came across £50 of Premium Bonds which I bought in 1968. Because I had moved address a few times without notifying them of my new address, I sent them my holder's number and numbers of my bonds. Lo and behold! 

They wrote back to say I had won three wins worth £75 in total!

I wonder if readers who have not notified change of address and may be owed money?

E W Stanworth, Hanwood