Wigan MP Lisa Nandy meets Hacker the Dog to launch BBC licence fee review

In a video posted on her X account, Ms Nandy can be seen joking with CBeebies' talking dog Hacker, who hails from Wigan.

In the one-minute video, she inquires about the whereabouts of his Wigan Athletic T-shirt and where “his favourite place in Wigan is” – to which he replies Hindley.

However, there was a serious point behind the video, as it was announced Ms Nandy will oversee a review of the TV licence fee after her appointment as culture secretary.

As part of her new high-profile role, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer posted a picture of himself and Ms Nandy at Berlin’s Olympiastadion yesterday before England faced Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

He has said he is “committed” to the BBC and its TV licence fee.

The annual fee faced years of scrutiny under the Conservative government, with it being frozen for two years at £159 before it was increased at a lower rate than the corporation expected, bringing the charge to £169.50 in April.

The former government also announced a review into the licence fee model, to look at alternative funding for the corporation’s operations when its current charter period ends in December 2027.

Under the BBC Funding Model Review’s terms of reference, an expert panel will consider what BBC services could become fully commercial and how much business revenue the broadcaster could generate.

It will also look at funding arrangements of the BBC World Service and minority language broadcasting.

Labour leaders will decide what happens next with the BBC, following consideration by the panel of a report set for release in the autumn.

The party committed in its manifesto that it will work “constructively with the BBC and our other public service broadcasters”, making culture and the arts more accessible and investing in the creative industry as part of its industrial strategy.

A BBC spokesman said: “We remain totally focused on offering value to the public and will engage with the Government on funding at the appropriate time.”