BBC presents the case for quality

THE BBC began its first public debate on its future last night by frightening its audience when about 150 of what seemed to be likely Radio 4 listeners were presented with a vision of up to 20 commercial television channels by the turn of the century, writes Martin Whitfield.

A 15-minute film at the start of the 'Extending Choice' discussion in a studio at Pebble Mill, Birmingham, drove the point home by accompanying the comment with horror film clips of people screaming. The shock prompted a reactive defence of a 'quality BBC' and what was defined as 'the best of British'.

The audience confessed to severe BBC addiction. Discordant voices - all consented to be happy to pay the pounds 80 licence fee - had to be coaxed into action by Anna Ford, the show's presenter. One man, who was 'partly in the anti-BBC lobby', complained after more than an hour about the mutual self-congratulation.

John Birt, Director General of the BBC, emphasised that the public service network in the late 1990s would not be showing hours of American and Australian imports. No Neighbours or Dallas fans leapt to their defence and resorted to demanding greater local coverage of the West Midlands.

But Bill Jordan, president of the engineering union AEEU and a BBC governor, urged: 'We must not retreat to the minorities' high ground and then defend it by calling it quality.'

The BBC roadshow is to visit 13 cities to gather evidence in the argument over the Government's Green Paper on the BBC's future.