Nigel Farage and the BBC
Few British politicians have sparred with the BBC as frequently—or as loudly—as Nigel Farage. Over more than two decades in public life, he has accused the corporation of bias, campaigned to abolish the licence fee, and nonetheless remained a regular presence on its flagship political programmes. His relationship with the broadcaster is part grievance, part reliance: he denounces it, but he also uses its reach.
Farage’s critique of the BBC has been remarkably consistent. As far back as 2013 he said the BBC’s Today programme should “sack everybody and start again,” arguing the corporation lacked balance on contentious issues such as climate change (The Guardian, 8 Aug 2013). In recent interventions he has escalated the language, calling the BBC “institutionally biased for decades” (UnHerd, 10 Nov 2025; see also YouTube clip). Following the autumn 2025 impartiality row, he warned: “This is the BBC’s last chance. If they don’t get this right, there will be vast numbers of people refusing to pay the licence fee” (GB News, 9–10 Nov 2025).
What is Farage’s policy on the licence fee?
In short: abolition. Throughout 2024–25 Farage repeatedly pledged to end the TV licence, describing the current model as “wholly unsustainable” and arguing the BBC should be slimmed down to a news-focused core, with entertainment and sport on a subscription footing (London Loves Business, 11 Nov 2025; reporting also in The Telegraph, 17 Jun 2024). Reform UK’s 2024 “contract” explicitly pledged to eliminate the TV licence fee, labelling the BBC “institutionally biased” (Reform UK manifesto summary with PDF).
Farage couples abolition with a structural reform pitch: “we need a very much slimmed down BBC… when it comes to entertainment and sport… they should compete with everyone else for a subscription model” (ITN/Yahoo, 10–11 Nov 2025).
Evidence, apologies, and the feedback loop
A durable feature of Farage’s relationship with the corporation is the feedback loop between his criticism and the BBC’s editorial responses. In May 2024 a BBC News presenter apologised after characterising a Farage speech as “customary inflammatory language,” with the BBC acknowledging it fell short of impartiality standards (Evening Standard, 28 May 2024; The Independent). Such incidents are routinely cited by Farage as proof of systemic bias.
How often is Farage on BBC politics shows?
Question Time: By late 2024, Farage had appeared 38 times, placing him among the programme’s highest-appearance panellists (Wikipedia episode list; analysis also in Yorkshire Bylines, 12 Dec 2024). He was featured in a general-election special filmed on 18 November 2019 (episode guide).
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: Since the show launched in 2022, Farage has been a recurring guest. Public listings and programme pages show appearances on 11 June 2023, 9 June 2024, 14 July 2024, and 7 September 2025 (episode list). You can also see broadcast clips for 11 June 2023, 9 June 2024, and 7 September 2025.
The bigger picture
Supporters of the BBC argue that abolishing the licence fee would imperil a universal public service and weaken the UK’s cultural soft power; Farage counters that the current model is outdated and coercive, and that bias—on issues from Europe to immigration and climate—cannot be fixed without wholesale change. His soundbites are pointed. In 2013 he wanted to “sack everybody and start again” (Guardian). In 2025, the fee is “wholly unsustainable” and large chunks of output should be subscription-based (London Loves Business).
“The licence fee as it currently is cannot survive, it is wholly unsustainable.” — Nigel Farage
“The BBC has been institutionally biased for decades.” — Nigel Farage
Whether one agrees with him or not, two truths stand out. First, Farage’s policy is clear: end the licence fee and slim the BBC down, with non-news content paid for by viewers who choose it. Second, his appearances on marquee BBC programmes—Question Time especially, and Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg increasingly—show that the very platform he criticises remains one of his most effective megaphones. That paradox is part of what keeps the Farage–BBC story in the headlines.
Further reading: Farage’s brief 2024 BBC boycott announcement and the wider 2025 impartiality controversy (Guardian live coverage).
