TV Licensing: TVL178 Record of Interview and Self-Incrimination Form

TV Licensing like to harp on about their massive database of unlicensed addresses, imaginary detection equipment and rarer than hen's teeth search warrants, but nearly all of their prosecutions hinge on a single piece of evidence - the TVL178 Record of Interview form.

An example TVL178 can be viewed in this earlier post.

The law requires that a licence is obtained for those properties where equipment is used to receive television programme services. In simple terms that means you need a licence to watch TV programmes on any channel available to others in the UK at the same time. [Edit: See note at foot of article].

Anyone that does not require a TV licence is under no legal obligation to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing and we strongly advise they remain silent and immediately close the door on any goon that visits.

Should the occupier make the mistake of engaging with a TV Licensing goon, they may find that he/she attempts to caution them and begin to complete a TVL178 form. The form must only be completed when the occupier is under caution otherwise any evidence recorded thereon is worthless.

At the end of the doorstep interview the occupier is asked to sign the completed TVL178 to confirm its accuracy. The occupier does not need to sign the form, but may choose to do so. Suffice to say the form should only be signed once it has been carefully read and understood. We have heard of cases where the occupier has signed the form on the basis of what the goon says it contains rather than what it actually does. As you can imagine, signing an inaccurate form has the potential to cause all sorts of problems for the occupier.

Alarm bells should instantly start ringing if the goon wants to add anything to the form once the occupier has signed it as an accurate record. The occupier will be given a copy of the completed form for their own records, which they should keep safe until it is needed later on.

The completed TVL178 will almost certainly be the pivotal evidence in any TV Licensing prosecution case. As such it should be completed with the highest standard of accuracy and detail, but experience shows that is not always the case. In our experience the average TV Licensing goon is a bit dim, so their TVL178s are often completed with illegible handwriting and contain contradictory evidence that could be easily discredited in court.

Anyone summoned to court should scrutinise the completed TVL178 very carefully. The official copy provided with the summons should be compared to that received at the time of the goon's visit. If there is any doubt about the accuracy or completeness of the information on the form the occupier should contact TV Licensing's prosecution team, highlight the evidential weaknesses, and indicate their willingness to plead not guilty. Quite often TV Licensing will withdraw the case in these circumstances, as they want to avoid the possibility of their evidence being discredited in court.

For further information please download our free ebook, TV Licensing Laid Bare.

Edit (22/6/18): Please note that from 1st September 2016 a TV licence is also required to watch or download on-demand programmes via the BBC iPlayer. A TV licence is still not required to watch or download on-demand programmes from non-BBC sources.

TV Licensing Goon Tune

It is hard to imagine a song that better epitomises TV Licensing than this rendition of Miles Betterman's The Dickhead Song.

Perrier winning comedian Miles has very kindly allowed our distinguished colleague D Tec tor Van from TVLR forums to add some TV Licensing goon snaps to the video. The original humorous ditty is available to download.

We think the goon visuals set off the tune very nicely!

Altogether now:

You came into my life and tried to do me wrong
So in return for that I have sent you this song
It tells you what I think and how I feel about you
So take a seat and listen up cos every single word is true

Dickhead, you're such a dickhead
And everybody knows it everyone but you
You're a dickhead, I hope you'll soon be dead
And this is payback time for what you put me through

The way you behaved was a total disgrace
I'd never grow tired of punching your face
You think that putting me down lifts you higher
I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire

You think you're better than me well you're not my friend
I'll get further in life than you in the end
You're nothing you're worthless just dirt on my shoe
Wherever you go whatever you do people will sing this song to you

Dickhead, you're such a dickhead
And everybody knows it everyone but you
You're a dickhead, I hope you'll soon be dead
And this is payback time for what you put me through

God will punish you cos you reap what you sow
You're a vile individual from head to toe
Nasty to the bone unpleasant to the core
I shall drink champagne when you are no more

If I never see your face again that's too soon
I've never met anyone so suited to this tune
I hope your friends desert you and your health is poor
This is what I think you are 1 2 3 4

Dickhead, you're such a dickhead
And everybody knows it everyone but you
You're a dickhead, I hope you'll soon be dead
And this is payback time for what you put me through

I wouldn't even give you the steam from my piss
As far as I'm concerned you can swivel on this
You're simply jealous of me but I couldn't care less
Cos I have all the qualities you'll never possess

I'd hate to go through life as you 24/7
Cos people like you don't end up in Heaven
You will rot in Hell that's where you belong
And when you get there they'll be singing this song

You're a dickhead, such a dickhead
And everybody knows it everyone but you
You're a dickhead, we're all glad you're dead
And so is everyone that you ever knew

Dickhead, you're such a dickhead
And everybody knows it everyone but you
You're a dickhead, everybody's said
I hope you liked the song so, SCREW YOU!

TV Licensing Camping It Up on BBC Radio Humberside

TV Licensing PR harlots have been pounding the holiday beat and warning campers about the perils of using of television receiving equipment in their tents without a valid TV licence.

Across the land TV Licensing goons are staking out hedgerows adjacent to campsites. They are equipped with the latest technology, which allows them to detect the merest flicker of television light through translucent tent walls. According to TV Licensing their equipment, which has never been used evidentially in court, is so advanced it can distinguish between a tent and caravan from as little as 50 yards away.

Or so they'd have you believe anyway.

Newbie TV Licensing PR gobshite Dualta Redmond appeared on Andy Comfort's Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Humberside this morning (available for a limited time on iPlayer, about 1 hr 53 mins into the programme). He's a pretty hesitant speaker, which is reflected in the transcipt below.

Having listened to the piece a few times we have some concerns about the accuracy and completeness of Redmond's comments - for example, if TV Licensing called on a holiday cottage and found guests using an unlicensed TV, it would be those guests and not the cottage owner liable to prosecution.

A full transcript of Redmond's patter appears below:

Andy Comfort (AC): Campers in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are being urged to make sure they have correctly (sic) licensed for watching television while on holiday this summer. 

With many campsites now offering internet access an increasing number of campers are keeping up to date with their favourite programmes live on their tablets and their smart phones. 

Well, Dualta Redmond joins me now from TV Licensing. Morning.

Dualta Redmond (DM): Good morning Andy.

AC: So let's get this straight. What are the rules about watching television while you're camping? What can and can't you do?

DM: Yep, well, erm, so, erm the good news is that the majority of people who are going camping this summer will already be covered by their home licence. So that's people who are staying in caravans or who have their touring mobile home hitched up to the back of their car. They will generally be covered by their home licence. 

People who are going to stay on campsites where their (static?) is or mobile home, they will also, generally speaking, that's usually the responsibility of the campsite owner to make sure that there are television licences for those. But if you own your own caravan - sorry, static home or caravan - you may need to purchase a second licence or, if all the family are going on holidays with you, you may also be covered with your home licence. 

What we'd ask people to do there is go onto the TV Licensing website and kind of just fill in a very short declaration to tell us that all the family will be going to, you know, the static caravan, wherever it may be, and then you'll be covered by that home licence.

AC: So it's as simple as that? Then they don't then have to pay any extra?

DM: No, no, not at all. Erm, the only instance where they may have to pay extra is if the static caravan or mobile home is considered as a second home, so you know, if you go there very frequently and there will be people still left in the family home, and you're back and forth, then it will be considered as a second home. That's only the very small instance where you might have  to purchase a second licence, but the vast majority of people, as I say, will be covered by their home licence.

AC: And people who are going away say for a fortnight in a cottage somewhere, what about that? I mean, is the cottage owner then liable to have a TV licence?

DM: Generally speaking, yes - the cottage owner will be liable for that. If the cottage owner hires it out with the purpose of, you know, renting it out to holidaymakers throughout the holiday season, then it will be the responsibility of that cottage owner. But, you know, if there's no television in the cottage and people bring - as a lot of people bring on their holidays now, you know their tablets, mobile phones and that kind of thing - they don't have to worry about a TV licence for those because they'll be covered by their home licence for those as well.

AC: Is it difficult for you to police all of this?

DM: Erm, we police it much in the same way as we police anything else, whether it's, you know, other kind of, whether it's, you know, boats, or residential homes, or campsites, whatever it is. What we do is we try to get the message out there to as many people as possible about their licensing requirements. So, as I say, a lot of people are already covered by their home licence, but we would work with, you know, camping and caravan clubs throughout the UK, campsites, and give them information so that they can in turn give their guests the required information and make sure that they know if and when they need a licence. You know, it's very simple, we get the message out there and most people - around the UK it's 95% of people who are correctly licensed, so the vast majority of people have their licence anyway, so when they go on holiday that doesn't really change.

AC: Dualta, thanks a lot for your time this morning. Dualta Redmond there from TV Licensing.

TV Licensing Drop Dubious Prosecution Case

TV Licensing has dropped another prosecution case, which hinged on what can only be described as questionable evidence.

At the start of June we wrote an article about Tony, a West Yorkshire resident, who had the misfortune of experiencing a visit by a TV Licensing goon. Please refer to that earlier post for some background to Tony's case. The Record of Interview form, TVL178, produced as a result of that visit is shown below:

Let us pick up from where we left off last time.

Our closing remarks were: "We have advised Tony of the inherent flaws in TV Licensing's evidence and are encouraging him to attend court and plead not guilty. Having heard several allegations of TV Licensing 'creativity' in the past, we are inclined to believe Tony's chain of events."

TV Licensing rely very heavily on the fact that most people they "bust" will be so legally unaware and scared of publicity that they'll simply roll over and plead guilty by post.

Court is like a "sausage factory" to TV Licensing. They'll book an afternoon of court time and throw literally dozens of cases at the Magistrates for what is sometimes tantamount to a rubber-stamping exercise. As very few defendants appear in person the rulings invariably go in TV Licensing's favour.

The last thing TV Licensing want is for the defendant in one of their more dubious cases to appear in court and publicly discredit their evidence. Tony was in the ideal position to do just that. The contradictions on the TVL178 were very clear for all to see, plus he had a witness prepared to testify that the goon asked him to plug in the Sky box.

On our advice Tony rang TV Licensing's prosecution team and indicated his willingness to attend court and tear their evidence to shreds. Sphincters no doubt went into spasm at that point and it was only a matter of time before TV Licensing pulled the plug.

Within a couple of days TV Licensing rang Tony and confirmed they were dropping the case. A court letter, shown below, has just arrived confirming the same.

In our opinion Tony's case is just the tip of the iceberg. We consider that there are probably thousands of TV Licensing prosecutions brought annually on the basis of questionable evidence - questionable evidence produced by some goons more concerned about earning commission payments than serving the public interest. Many of those defendants could avoid court altogether if they were knowledgeable enough to challenge TV Licensing on the quality of their evidence.

We would encourage anyone in similar circumstances to Tony to please get in touch with us before doing anything else.

In closing, we shall highlight some important learning points from Tony's recent success:

• Never allow TV Licensing into your home voluntarily. Simply keep quiet and close the door on them.
• Do not trust TV Licensing goons. They are commission-driven salespeople, who sometimes bend the truth and rules to secure their bonus payments.
• If you are careless enough to arrive in the situation where you receive a summons for TV licence evasion then seek advice immediately.

If you've found this article of interest you might also like to read about the high profile cases of Steve Heather and Michael Shakespeare, who have their own interesting experiences of TV Licensing prosecution.

North Yorkshire TV Licensing Goon

A new video has appeared on YouTube showing footage of a TV Licensing goon encounter in North Yorkshire.

It would appear that this video is yet another example of TV Licensing choosing to ignore a perfectly valid WOIRA instruction.

It's true what they say, that you can form an opinion of someone within about the first five seconds of meeting them. Well within that narrow time frame, we were able to deduce that this follicly challenged goon was a bit of a loose cannon, not least for the way his jaw is ignorantly chiseling a piece of gum at the same time as trying to hold a conversation with the occupier.

The occupier very benevolently explains that he is filming for both of their safety, which he is perfectly entitled to do. The goon, evidently unfamiliar with TV Licensing policy on this matter, challenges the presence of the camera.

"Can I ask you to stop recording?" asks the goon, arrogantly forgetting that he's on someone else's property.

"No. I'm quite within my rights to record" comes the legally correct reply of the occupier.

"Not if I ask you not to" retorts the goon, closely followed by "how are you well within your rights to film me? I haven't given you permission."

Comedy gold from the goon next, as he lectures the occupier on how to behave like a decent human being.

The occupier elaborates a bit on his reluctance to deal with TV Licensing: "I get pestered all the time from the TV licence (sic). I've removed all implied rights of access. So why are you at my door?"

The goon, looking increasingly ignorant by this stage, comes back with: "Well I don't know that, do I? I haven't been told that you've removed all rights of access, otherwise they wouldn't be sending me to your door, would they?"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries about the legalities of filming and implied rights of access the cocky goon shrugs his shoulders, protests his innocence and makes his retreat.

What a complete and utter masticator.

Attention all iPhone users: Please remember to hold your phone horizontally if you use it to film a TV Licensing goon.

Edit (27/7/13): We have replaced the original dull image of the goon with a new enhanced version.

Suicide BBC Journalist: Father Speaks Out

The father of a BBC journalist who committed suicide has spoken out about some of the pressures his son faced at work.

Last week the Warwickshire Deputy Coroner Louise Hunt ruled that Russell Joslin, a reporter at BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, took his own life after making a series of complaints about an unnamed woman, identified as Colleague A in a BBC report into the tragedy.

Russell's father, retired Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Peter Joslin QPM, recently gave an interview to BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire. A transcript of the interview, which aired at 10:06 am on 9th July 2013, is given below:

Victoria Derbyshire (VD): Six minutes past ten. Good morning, this is 5 Live. This morning, in an exclusive interview, the father of a BBC journalist who took his own life after claiming he was sexually harassed by a female colleague tells us he believes BBC managers should be held to account for the way his son's complaint was handled. 

Fifty-year-old Russell Joslin, a radio reporter for BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, died in hospital last October. He'd made five allegations of unwanted advances and harassment against his colleague. A coroner's inquest last week recorded a verdict of suicide and found that there were many factors surrounding Russell Joslin's death, including work dissatisfaction and his mental state, but that it would be wrong to attribute blame to a single one. The coroner also ruled that the BBC employee Mr Joslin alleged sexually harassed him, could not be named because the complaints were not proven.

In his first and only interview Russell Joslin's father, Peter Joslin, former Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police, told us about the sort of harassment his son had reported.

Peter Joslin (PJ): The colleague that he was referring to made life very difficult for him. He was asked when she came to the BBC, that Russell showed her around. Russell had lived in the county for a very long time, and he took her around various places and it seems she misunderstood the relationship there was between Russell and her. Russell didn't want anything other than a working relationship.

VD: And what did he say was going on in this relationship?

PJ: Well, as far as he was concerned nothing apart from he was showing her around the patch. And, of course, we have records. Russell being a real journalist, the evening that it all came out - when she phoned him and said some rather unkind and nasty, rude things to him - being the journalist that he is, he recorded it all on his phone.

VD: And these voice mails: were they regarded by your son as bullying, intimidating, sexual harassment?

PJ: Yes, because she said "you'll never be regarded as anything more than a mediocre £27,000 a year reporter".

VD: Did he regard that as bullying?

PJ: Yes. I think what frightened Russell about them - you know, some people think he might have been a wimp, but a very strong character was Russell - was he loved his work with the BBC. He was frightened that if pressures were put on - and things were said and done about him, which might cause him to lose his job - then he would be very worried indeed. He played along, I suppose, with playing the good guy. Not only that, of course, but he's a professional and his job was to read the news, and to report daily all sorts of incidents, and he really just wanted to keep away from this particular person.

VD: You've allowed us to listen to some of the voice mails that were left on your son's phone. They read: "Thanks for abandoning me. Don't ever, ever think of me as your (expletive) mate again. Do what you have to do at the BBC, because you're a loser on 27 grand a year, but don't ever encroach on me or my talent"; "You are flaky, you are poor, you are weak. Don't ever think of me as an equal again. I don't want anything to do with you"; and a third said "Don't ever, ever presume any (expletive) friendship".

PJ: I think it says a lot about the person themselves. I was surprised that Russell put up with it, but as I say he didn't want to rock the boat. He loved working for the BBC and he didn't want anything to interfere with that.

VD: Do you regard those kind of voice mails as bullying or sexual harassment?

PJ: I didn't see it as badly as Russell. When I heard of it - in fact Russell didn't talk to me about that sort of thing very often - I didn't see it as particularly serious, but in the last couple of years - when I've seen him break up from a strong, powerful, independent individual, to someone who had to spend two spells in a mental hospital, for only a few days at a time fortunately. Whatever happened regarding this particular relationship, or poor relationship, that they had made him very, very sad indeed. As I say, he went downhill quite quickly.

VD: How did his behaviour change as this working relationship with the colleague deteriorated?

PJ: Well he gradually broke down. We didn't witness it all the way through, but at the end he believed that people were following him, and that things were going to happen to him, and he also had it in his mind that because I'd been the Chief Constable of Warwickshire for 15 years that there were people who would want to get me as well and suggested that we should leave the house where we live. 

I thought it was comical at first, until I looked at him and realised how desperate he was. Anyhow, he went to Stratford-on-Avon where he was to stay the night with my son-in-law, but he said he didn't want to bring any problems to them, and in the end my son-in-law - who is a consultant psychologist as it happens - decided to bring in the authorities and the best place for him to go was to some sort of overnight stay at a mental hospital.

VD: Do you know if your son made any official complaints to BBC managers during this whole period?

PJ: Yes. There's two instances. The first instance was soon after the falling out between the two of them that I spoke about. He didn't want any action taken, he just really wanted it on record. And then of course in the 10 or 12 days before he died, he went to see the people who dealt with health business at the BBC and said that he now wanted to raise his original complaint and would like some action taken. They told him there that they had no record of his original complaint. He left there, the person who saw him, he looked like he'd just given up, because he knew very well that he'd reported it, he wanted it kept available in case things got worse or didn't improve, and now he'd reached a stage where he thought something else had to be done, yet they said they hadn't received his original complaints.

However, and this is the very bad - caused the situation to go worse than we possibly expected - he found out that they had in fact found it - they were aware of it - but didn't tell him that that was the case, and then, I suppose he thought there was some sort of conspiracy against him and of course he deteriorated mentally quite quickly.

VD: The woman that you say sexually harassed your son cannot be named. What do you think about that?

PJ: I can't understand that. I'm the longest serving police officer in this country. I was a police officer for 44 years, and I cannot understand as to why that is so. I assume that there must be reasons within the media that I don't understand, but I was quite happy...

VD: ...libel.

PJ: Well yes, but it's the truth. We have evidence. Now you think about the tapes. There's evidence on there as to exactly what has happened and plenty of other evidence that would have supported his case against this particular individual.

VD: What was Russell like as a man?

PJ: Well, you know, Russell was a formidable character. I think what annoys my family and my wife and I in particular is that they make him sound like some sort of a wimp that couldn't stand up to the pressures of this sort, but that's completely untrue. I mean Russell came up the hard way. He worked for a news agency to start with, where he didn't get any pay unless he got published stories. He did that for several years and then he went on a course for radio journalism, then he did freelance all over - in Shropshire, he loved Shropshire when he worked down there - then he really reached his pinnacle to get a place as a reporter with the BBC in Coventry and Warwickshire.

VD: Your son did make an official complaint last year in 2012 to BBC managers and this was prompted by him seeing a BBC employee who alleged, during the Jimmy Savile affair, that she had been assaulted in the past. What was your son's mood after that?

PJ: Very depressed. He really thought that the people that he saw were in a position that he thought they were able to improve his position, and he was absolutely gutted. Somebody saw him afterwards saying "this is the end, you can't beat the system". He was home for nearly a week after that and I could see that things had got to him, and he was really shattered by it.

VD: Right. And how was his official complaint handled, as far as you know?

PJ: Well, I think what annoyed him about - what broke him in the end after his visit to Pebble Mill - was that they said there had been no official complaint. Now he knew there was, because he'd made sure it was there. However, soon after the two ladies that interviewed him found the record of the complaints that he'd made, but decided at that time not to say anything about it and they didn't get in touch with Russell and he didn't learn until a few days later that they had, in fact, found the very complaints that he was talking about.

VD: The BBC has conducted two inquiries into what happened. One was an internal fact-finding investigation, which hasn't been published - we know it did find no grounds for proceeding with an allegation of sexual harassment and/or bullying, but it said that there was evidence that the standards of behaviour were not met. And the second report was an independent report called the Granger Report. It was published, it has been published, and it looked at the BBC's handling of your son's complaints. It found evidence of a bullying culture in the BBC Coventry and Warwickshire news room that on occasion left many in tears and could have had a significant influence on why your son didn't make a formal complaint earlier. Do you accept that?

PJ: I do. I thought that Lesley Granger's report was sympathetic, accurate and we were quite supportive of it. Perhaps it didn't go as far as we'd want it to go, but it was a very fair report.

VD: And that no specific conversations he had with his line managers or others - no specific incidents were referred to in his appraisals over a number of years.

PJ: Well I didn't see his appraisals. All I know is that they fell short in not letting Russell know earlier that they had found the records and they were aware of what Russell had said some 4 or 5 years before.

VD: What do you think broadly about the way the BBC handled your son and the complaints he was making?

PJ: Well I think the results suggest they didn't do very well. He didn't get a great deal of sympathy from people who were his immediate superiors and I think that I will always hold that against them, but generally speaking I am not going to say unkind things about the BBC. I of course worked with the BBC during my time in the police service and I've got a lot of friends, over the years I've built friendships with a lot of people who still work with the BBC and I think that they're probably the best news organisation that I've ever experienced and I've travelled all over the world. I just think it doesn't mean to say as good as they are that people haven't made mistakes, and what I would like to see is those people held responsible for the mistakes that they made.

VD: What do you mean by that?

PJ: Well, they're holding down positions where perhaps they might not have learnt their lessons in Russell's case, and I wouldn't want it to happen to any other parents. That's all I can really say. It's very difficult to discuss still Russell with the coroner's court only last Friday and it was a hard day for the whole family.

VD: What has the impact been on you and your wife and wider family?

PJ: Well, we've come a lot closer together. The house is full of them - children and sons and relatives - and that's been a good thing, but I think that's what families are for really. I feel so sorry for people that undergo something like this and haven't got family, and haven't got friends. Fortunately Kathy and I have a tremendous number of friends and, of course, our loving relatives.

VD: The BBC has apologies unreservedly to you and your family for the way complaints your son made about harassment were dealt with, and you've just said there are people still in positions who perhaps shouldn't be because of the way they didn't take your son's complaint seriously. The organisation's introduced a number of changes including setting up a confidential helpline for staff concerned about bullying or harassment, and increased face-to-face counselling. Do you have any comment to make about that?

PJ: I think that's a move in the right direction. I'm just surprised that an organisation like the BBC hadn't gone that far before - Russell had to lose his life to bring it about. But as I say, we've been very impressed by what the head people from the BBC - the seriousness that they've taken...

VD: ... Now? The seriousness that they've taken now?

PJ: Yes, the attitude that they've taken since, and what they are doing to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else's son.

VD: Peter Joslin. In a statement following the publication of the Granger Report the BBC said: "Russell Joslin was a respected and much-loved member of the team at Radio Coventry and Warwickshire. He's greatly missed. The BBC extends our deepest condolences to Russell's family, friends and colleagues. 

"We apologised unreservedly at the time of the Granger Report for the way the BBC handled Russell's concerns and we apologise again today to Russell's family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time. We've learned lessons from this and we've made progress with the recommendations outlined in Lesley Granger's report, but we recognise that this is an ongoing process. 

"The BBC would like to assure Russell's family that we remain absolutely committed to implementing these improvements."

Interview transcribed by the TV Licensing Blog.

Controversial BBC Midlands Boss Decides to Jump Ship

Cath Hearne, the Head of Regional & Local Programmes (HRLP) for the BBC Midlands Region, has decided to leave the gravy train at the next station.

We have been following Hearne with some interest over the past couple of years, ever since an article called "BBC Midlands Today staff threaten strike over alleged bullying" was published on the Birmingham Post website in October 2010.

Hearne, originally a teacher from Newcastle, was appointed HRLP for BBC Midlands in February 2009. Within the space of a few months she was at the centre of controversy by ditching DJ Liz Kershaw from the BBC Coventry and Warwickshire breakfast show. As a result of being axed Kershaw, who it appears has a forthright approach to electronic communications, reportedly sent her an email, copied to all of the staff in the Region, saying: "Watch your back Cath. Beware the Ides of March etc. Could be your turn next."

The Birmingham Post article said: "Staff at BBC Midlands Today have passed a vote of no confidence in management amid claims of widespread bullying and intimidation at the Birmingham television operation."

An unnamed BBC insider was quoted as saying: "Back in March (2010) we wrote a letter to David Holdsworth (the Controller of BBC English Regions) outlining the problems with bullying but nothing was done."

Hearne was HRLP at the time BBC Coventry and Warwickshire reporter Russell Joslin, who we mentioned yesterday, was making his own allegations of harassment and inappropriate conduct within the Region.

She came back onto our radar at the start of the year when former BBC presenter Suzanne Virdee, who had fronted the BBC Midlands Today programme for more than a decade, was awarded a cash payout to prevent her from taking the BBC to an employment tribunal. According to reports Virdee had experienced a particularly ignominious dismissal, which allegedly involved Hearne ordering her out of The Mailbox two days before her contract was due to end.

The National Union of Journalists held an emergency meeting to condemn the BBC’s treatment of Virdee and passed a motion of no confidence in Hearne's management.

At the start of the year a colleague asked the BBC for further information about allegations of bullying within the BBC Midlands Region. True to form the BBC refused to release the information. The BBC is currently late in responding to a second request on the same topic.

Hearne has given no explanation for her departure from the BBC, which she announced in an email to staff: "Hello Everyone, This isn't your usual Midlands Midweek update.

"I wanted you all to know that I've decided to leave the BBC in the autumn. I can't quite imagine how life will be after 20 years working with talented people making great programmes that audiences love."

Don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out Cath.

Edit (8/7/13): We have made minor changes to this article, to reflect that the Birmingham Post article is still available online. Having now spoken to the Birmingham Post, they tell us that our original link was broken when they recently moved their website to a .co.uk domain name.

Inquest Verdict: BBC Reporter Committed Suicide

A coroner has recorded a verdict of suicide in relation to a BBC local reporter that killed himself shortly after accusing bosses of failing to take his reports of sexual harassment seriously.

Coroner Louise Hunt, presiding at the Leamington Spa inquest, heard how Russell Joslin suspected BBC bosses of covering up his allegations against an unnamed female colleague.

Mr Joslin, who was employed as a reporter at BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, was said to be furious that the woman, identified as Colleague A in a BBC report into the tragedy, herself made claims of sexual harassment in the wake of the Jimmy Savile sex scandal.

The BBC's report, written by HR consultant Lesley Granger, included several witness comments critical of Colleague A, including: "Everyone knew that the [person] in question was very difficult to work with, even for people in positions of authority"; "Managers were scared to confront [Colleague A]"; "No-one would challenge her". One can only speculate what expletive was used in place of "[person]" in that first quote.

Colleague A was also accused of "cutting people off the air" if she didn't like what they were saying. Granger suggested that Colleague A's strong and dominating personality may have been the reason Mr Joslin was unwilling to make a formal complaint about her conduct.

The unnamed woman was accused of sending Mr Joslin a series of unpleasant text messages, including one that said: "Do what you have to at the BBC cause you are a loser on 27 grand a year. But don’t ever encroach on me or my talent".

Following the publication of the report the BBC apologised to the Joslin family and admitted their handling of Mr Joslin's complaints "was not good enough".

Mr Joslin died on 22nd October 2012, three days after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Warwick for deliberately walking in front of a bus.

In delivering her verdict the coroner said: "He had had a lack of sleep, there was a lack of career progression and he was frustrated with the situation with the colleague.

"I don't think one of those factors can be split out. In my view they were all relevant and interplayed together."

So, there you have it, the BBC culture of workplace bullying is back in the headlines.

I've had to show incredible restraint not to mention the name of Colleague A, particularly as her identity is one of the worst kept secrets in British broadcasting!

TV Licensing: Smashing Creative Output

Our noble colleague TJoK, the BBC's favourite kayaking enthusiast in the whole wide world, has been busy filming his latest TV Licensing blockbuster.

The film features Miss X, who is the disgruntled daughter of a TV Licensing victim. Her mother had the recent misfortune of having to deal with TV Licensing when she cancelled her payment card. Cue TV Licensing threats and innuendo that she must now be a licence fee dodger, instead of someone who has simply decided no longer to subsidise the lavish lifestyles of BBC executives and "talent".

Miss X takes great delight in daubing an old TV set with anti-TV Licensing comments before beating it to a pulp with a variety of heavy objects. It certainly looks like she's having a smashing time.

Some of our favourite stills appear below:

TJoK is seeking unwanted TV sets for his next masterpiece. If you're in the Derby area and have one spare, you can get in touch with him via his YouTube channel. You might also want to cancel your TV licence and adopt one of the perfectly legal alternatives to watching live TV.

TV Licensing Laid Bare: July 2013 Edition Released

An updated version of our free ebook TV Licensing Laid Bare has just been released.

The rewrite was necessary due to recent changes in the law, most notably the repealing of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1967.

The book begins by identifying the key players in the TV licence system. The emphasis then shifts towards the legal basis of the fee, and clearly explains circumstances in which a TV licence is required. After a short analysis of how the licence fee is spent the book gives detailed information about how the TV licence is enforced. The book concludes with practical words of advice for the thousands of legally licence free people, who are regularly harassed by TV Licensing's correspondence and employees.

The July 2013 edition also includes a new chapter called "TV Licensing Bloopers", which recounts in cringeworthy detail some of TV Licensing's most notable screw-ups.

Please share it with anyone else seeking advice about how to deal with TV Licensing.

The latest version of TV Licensing Laid Bare can be downloaded free from this page.

TV Licensing Tool Ignores WOIRA Instruction

New video footage has been uploaded to YouTube, which demonstrates yet again TV Licensing's contempt for members of the legally-licence-free community.

We think this video is the result of a goon fishing expedition, but we're waiting for confirmation on that.

The occupier very sensibly answers the door to these two TV Licensing low-lives with his camera rolling. It is always a good idea to film TV Licensing encounters because (a) it is the occupier's legal right to do so; and (b) some of their commission-hungry goons will say just about anything to sell the occupier a licence, regardless of their legal need to have one.

It quickly comes to light that the occupier, who has no legal need for a TV licence, has previously told TV Licensing that their employees are not welcome at his property. TV Licensing like to pretend that they'll respect any WOIRA instruction, although we have lost count of the number of occasions where they have been caught flouting them on video.

The two goons quickly terminate the visit when they are reminded, yet again, that TV Licensing are not welcome at the property.

As the video shows TV Licensing employees breaking the rules, we would expect TV Licensing to blub to YouTube to have it removed. Better view it quickly before they try to censor it.

Goon Fishing: Important Update

A recent change in the law means that TV dealers are no longer under any legal obligation to grass up their customers to TV Licensing.

As much as we support the repealing of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1967, it did throw a spanner in the works with the original concept of goon fishing.

Goon fishing, for the benefit of anyone who didn't read our post last month, is the fine art of attracting TV Licensing goons to a property with the intention of filming them. Before the change in the law TV dealers played a pivotal role in sending TV Licensing goons towards their baited hook. Now that TV dealers are no longer involved the goon fishing process has been amended slightly.

As we mentioned last time, goon fishing is a sport only for those fearlessly dedicated to the legally-licence-free cause. The thrill of goon fishing is that you'll end up face to face with your prey, so it's not a pursuit for shy and retiring types. Only attempt goon fishing if you're prepared to follow-through and land your catch.

Before hooking a TV Licensing bloater it may be prudent to read our free ebook, TV Licensing Laid Bare. The book explains your legal rights when dealing with TV Licensing. In short, as you have no legal need for a TV licence, you are under no legal obligation to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing at all. For all their goon will arrive with a pretentious air of pseudo-officialdom they have no more rights than any other visitor to your property.

The new simplified goon fishing technique is:

Dangle your bait

This now involves someone making an incognito telephone call (0300 790 6131) or email (support@tvlicensing.co.uk) to TV Licensing to report you for TV licence evasion. TV Licensing will be happy to believe their story, as their mentality is such that anyone without a TV licence is an evader. The person making the report is advised to use a pay as you go mobile or disposable email address for this purpose. TV Licensing will schedule a visit to your property to see if there is any truth in the rumour that you're a licence dodger.

Wait for a goon to bite

Have your camera charged up and waiting by the door. Sooner or later a TV Licensing goon is going to knock on the door, so you need to be ready to start reeling.

Film your catch

A lot of anglers like to keep a permanent record of their best catches, so be sure to get some video of the freshly landed goon flapping around on your doorstep. The vivid colours of their pouting face and rippling underbelly will undoubtedly make a memorable keepsake. For legal reasons the use of keep nets and barbed hooks is strongly discouraged. It is perfectly legal to film anyone who visits your property, however undesirable they may be. If the goon is following TV Licensing rules they should slink back into the gutter at this stage, but your encounter doesn't need to end there.

There are a lot of fake goons out there, because even the most unskilled of Blue Peter presenters can make a convincing TV Licensing ID card in less than 30 seconds. I'm not quite sure why anyone would be sad enough to Walt-it-up as a TV Licensing goon, but there are some sick attention seekers in the world. That being the case, you may choose to follow the suspect goon in an effort to verify their identity. If they are a charlatan (ignoring the obvious fact they probably are anyway) then you'll be doing a public service by passing their description and vehicle registration number to the police. As the BBC is a shining beacon of morality and legal correctness, they would surely approve of such community-mindedness: they are, after all, assisting with a number of investigations into the "dubious" conduct of their own staff and associates. If you do decide to follow the goon you should remain completely passive, keep the camera rolling and maintain a safe distance. You must avoid, at all costs, any accusation that you were harassing or intimidating the goon. They're happy to dish it out, but when the boot's on the other foot they squeal louder than a teenager pinned in the corner of Jimmy Savile's dressing room.

Remember that it was TV Licensing who chose to visit you. You did not invite them and, as you still don't use TV receiving equipment, they have no legal business whatsoever at your property. In the eyes of the law they have no more rights than unsolicited God-botherers or people selling lucky heather. You are under no legal obligation at all to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing at all.

Share your catch 

Upload your video to YouTube, as you're legally entitled to do. Add some humorous captions if you wish.

You might be wondering why anyone would want to entice TV Licensing scum to their property. The answer is simple: TV Licensing harass people who have no legal need for a TV licence.

If you've found this article useful please share it with your friends and help spread the word. An information sheet summarising the key points can be downloaded from our Resources page.

Good luck and happy fishing!

Camera Shy Northern Irish TV Licensing Goon

A video was uploaded yesterday showing a camera shy Northern Irish TV Licensing goon in action.

At first glance this appears nondescript footage of a very brief doorstep encounter, but if you listen carefully you will hear how the goon dishonestly claims the occupier has no right to film him. After a bit of huffing and puffing the young goon, who is probably only in his 20s, breaches TV Licensing rules by threatening to phone to police to stop the occupier filming. He is clearly unimpressed that his boyish good looks have been captured on camera.

The goon clearly recognised that he was dealing with a clued-up opponent, so retreated to the safety of his car a short distance up the street. The occupier's dog snapped at the goon's heels as he slimed his way back down the driveway. 

The goon is seen using his mobile phone as he walks back to the car. A colleague has speculated that he may have been phoning his Mum for advice: "I'm sorry Mum, but I've been caught on camera at work. I can't take the shame of all my friends finding out that I'm not really a rent boy, but I'm actually a TV Licensing goon".

Regular readers will know that it is perfectly legal for the occupier of a property to film TV Licensing goons, or anyone else for that matter, when they are on the doorstep or in a public place.

The law requires that a licence is obtained for those properties where equipment is used to receive television programme services. In simple terms that means you need a licence to watch TV programmes on any channel available to others in the UK at the same time. 

Anyone who does not legally need a TV licence, like the occupier of the property in this case, is under no legal obligation to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing at all. TV Licensing goons have been known to tell lies in order to boost their commission payments. For that reason it's best to say nothing and close the door on them.