The BBC has really stepped up during lockdown and it’s great to see

There was a time where the corporation looked beset by detractors – but we need it, says Katy Brand

Kate Thistleton will front new content from Bitesize Daily (BBC)

Hurrah for the BBC! Last week, Auntie announced that it would be using its channels to broadcast content aimed at helping lockdown-weary parents deal with school closures.

If you have children and have ever spent significant time in another country, you will know that CBeebies and CBBC are the absolute gold standard in kids’ programming, Danish cartoons about runaway penises notwithstanding.

There has been a concerted effort to discredit, defund and degrade the BBC for the past 10 years, and for a moment last year it seemed to be working. The corporation felt lost, somehow, and unable to defend its position in British culture convincingly. You could feel good will draining out of the building as strange decisions were made about budgets and the ranks of the dreaded “middle management” swelled.