Chameleon Magazine

The BBC is under legal siege, and apparently, we’re all supposed to rally like it’s Dunkirk 2.0 because Donald Trump’s suing for $10 billion. That’s right—billion, with a B. Now, campaigners are demanding Keir Starmer and the BBC “stand strong,” “don’t settle,” and “protect our public broadcaster.”

But here’s the problem: when the BBC was dragging pensioners to court over TV licences, they weren’t exactly begging us for solidarity, were they?

📺 Justice for Granny Smith? Nah. But Save the BBC? Absolutely! 🙄

Let’s rewind. Not too long ago, 75-year-old Granny Smith—and thousands like her—were being prosecuted for not paying the TV licence. Headlines? Crickets. Outrage? Silenced. The BBC pressed on, armed with legal muscle, chasing vulnerable people through the courts like some dystopian version of Cash in the Attic.

Now the tables have turned. A raging orange billionaire, fuelled by vengeance and Diet Coke, is coming for Auntie Beeb with a lawsuit that sounds more like a Bond villain ransom note than real life—and suddenly it’s “all hands on deck!”

Sorry, but you don’t get to cry “public good” only when you need defending. The BBC wants the moral high ground while standing on the backs of working-class pensioners and disabled viewers.

And Keir Starmer? Please. He’ll probably convene a sternly-worded advisory group while Rachel Reeves calculates how to fund it by taxing biscuits or nostalgia.

This isn’t about Trump being right—he’s not. This is about whether the BBC actually stood with the people it’s now asking to fight for it. Spoiler: It didn’t. So let’s not pretend this is a noble standoff between truth and tyranny. It’s two rich institutions throwing lawsuits at each other while the rest of us decide whether to heat our homes or pay for live coverage of it.

🚫 Challenges 🚫

Why should we go to war for an institution that wouldn’t cross the street for us? Why does the BBC only remember the public when it needs our sympathy—or our cash?

💥 Drop your takes in the blog comments below. No more “defending the BBC” until it starts defending us.

And if you’re Granny Smith, we’re saving you a front-row seat.

👇 Comment, share, or tag the BBC’s legal team with a reminder:

Public service is a two-way street. And we’re watching. 🎯

The best clapbacks will be featured in the next issue of the magazine. 📝🔥