BHR, thank you for your explanation as to why "the BBC has to survive for the good of the UK". As you so rightly say it is all a matter of opinion. With great respect, I'm afraid I find your reasons falling short of your stirring statement.
Freedom of the Press is like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. You may well discount all the other broadcasters, newspapers and other media because, I presume, they are in the main commercial enterprises answerable to their owners, barons or shareholders alike. They are also answerable to their subscribers (readers, watchers, listeners), who are either lemmings being directed by these monsters, or people who respond positively to their chosen station or paper or exercise their right to choose and go elsewhere. You may disagree with their opinions, but would you defend their right to them, to the death?
The BBC on the contrary is "owned" by us all, and thus in reality by no-one. So no shareholders or barons? I would opine (there it is again!) that the vacuum has been filled from within the organisation by those who have created an agenda which is well left of the incumbent government, let alone the opposition. And the consumers of its output have uniquely no choice. Pay-up whether you listen or watch or not, or be fined or go to prison!
And now, a word for our moderators! What has all this to do with military aviation? Simply that all BBC coverage is subject to that agenda. The BBC has little interest or understanding of the military, seeing it in terms of any other enterprise in the UK, and a somewhat disreputable one at that. I was once accused of being a paid mercenary (by a teacher, I must admit, but reflecting the ethos of the Hampstead Thinkers). So coverage is not of our troops, but "British troops". Ironic when you think of their own title. Coverage of the Nimrod disaster was preceeded by speculation that it was probably a Hercules or Chinook that had crashed, causing needless anguish to families in the UK (and even worse, false hope to those about to be devastated). I had personal experience of the Beeb's ways when we lost a Herc at Fairford. Within two hours the Beeb had pushed out the news on the evening bulletin, despite urgent pleas to hold it over to the later one (as agreed by the commercial channel!) while the next of kin were informed. They were informed all right!
As to "shows" if you mean the costume dramas, yes very good. I have always tried to support heaving bosoms! But the cost in this case is far, far too great. Only my opinion of course!