BBC sparks backlash after halting World Cup coverage to run 3-min-45-second-long ad demanding Britons to pay licence fee

BBC sparks backlash after halting World Cup coverage to run 3-min-45-second-long ad demanding Britons to pay licence fee

The BBC has sparked backlash after halting its coverage of the final game of the World Cup to run an ad demanding Britons to pay the licence fee. Featuring the highest-paid names from the broadcaster, the almost-four-minute-long self-promotion features top celebrities from the corporation, reflecting on "what the BBC has done for you". Produced by BBC Creative, the ad shows off 90 familiar faces, including stars Claudia Winkleman, Graham Norton and Clare Balding - and led by comedian Romesh Ranganathan. The advert sets out the values and virtures of the broadcast and heaps praise onto its "thorough" news verification process. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The film also features iconic BBC filming locations such as the Queen Vic pub from EastEnders, as well as fan-favourite TV characters such as David Jason as Del Trotter and the Daleks from Doctor Who. Greg James, the Radio 1 breakfast host - and the second-highest paid at the broadcaster with a hefty £445,000 salary - also features in the ad. The latest campaign for the BBC shows Mr Ranganathan in the Queen Vic pub reading a newspaper donning the headline: "Is the BBC really worth it?" He says: "It's a good question... You have got to ask – what has the BBC ever done for me? "If you’re a fan of Ian Beale, or if The Traitors has any appeal, who cares if they’ve raised two-and-a-half billion for charity, what has the BBC ever done for me?" The star then attributes the BBC for "introducing the nation to Adele" as well as a series of national treasures, including Dame Mary Berry. The latest advert for the national broadcaster took inspiration from one of its previous ads back in 1986 which proclaimed: "There's a BBC for each of us. Funded by all of us." The decision to pause its coverage of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina has come just a few days after the number of Britons paying the fee was revealed to have fallen. LATEST FROM THE BBC: BBC makes refugee film as 'activist produce