MPs Tell BBC to Stop Overpaying for Overseas Hits Like Suits and Schitt's Creek

The BBC has been urged by a cross-party group of MPs to stop paying above the market rate for foreign television programmes, naming recent acquisitions such as Suits, Schitt's Creek and Scooby Doo as examples of questionable spending. The recommendation forms part of a broad parliamentary report examining the corporation's funding model and long-term future, published by the House of Commons culture and media committee.

The committee's central argument is that while the BBC generates the overwhelming majority of its own output, it still competes in the open market for a small share of overseas content. When that competition turns into a bidding war against commercial British broadcasters, MPs argue, the licence fee payer ends up footing a bill that does not represent good value. The report explicitly called on the corporation to "spend more wisely when competing for programming" and to "box clever" on behalf of those who fund it.

The three named titles each arrived at the BBC after their previous deals elsewhere had lapsed. Schitt's Creek, the Emmy-winning Canadian comedy created by father-and-son team Eugene and Dan Levy, joined the BBC's roster after leaving Netflix. Suits, the US legal drama that regained cultural prominence in recent years and starred Meghan Markle before her royal life, similarly found a new home on BBC platforms. Scooby Doo, the long-running animated franchise, was also picked up once its earlier arrangements expired.

MPs on the committee said they were unconvinced that snapping up such programmes after rivals had let them go represented prudent use of public money. In their view, the sums involved could be redirected toward original British production or other priorities at a time when the corporation's finances are under strain. The report described the practice of outbidding domestic commercial rivals for imported shows as "illogical," framing it as one of several inefficiencies that ought to be corrected.

The BBC has pushed back firmly against the criticism. In its response, the corporation stressed that acquired programming accounts for less than five per cent of its overall content budget — a smaller proportion than that spent by other British broadcasters. Executives argued that these purchases are a cost-effective method of drawing large audiences through the door, who then stay to sample homegrown drama, comedy and factual programming they might otherwise never encounter.

The broader report, produced by Dame Caroline Dinenage and her committee colleagues, paints a picture of an institution at a crossroads. It acknowledges that the BBC delivers "immeasurable benefits" to British society but warns that without serious reform it risks sliding into what the report calls a state of "managed decline." Dame Caroline described the moment as "pivotal," pointing to shifting viewing habits, shrinking income and ongoing negotiations with the government over the corporation's future funding arrangements.

At the heart of those negotiations is the television licence fee, which the committee declared "outdated and no longer fit for purpose." MPs highlighted a striking gap: roughly 94 per cent of individuals in the UK use the BBC in some form each month, yet only about 80 per cent of households actually pay for a licence. The committee recommended decoupling the fee from live television viewing and from specific devices such as television sets, so that the funding mechanism better reflects how people consume media today. Crucially, the report suggested that broadening the payer base could be paired with a reduction in the cost borne by each individual household — a trade-off it believes would be an easier sell to the public.

The BBC's director-general, Matt Brittin, has already signalled his appetite for change. He has publicly characterised the existing licence fee model as "a busted flush" and "yesterday's model," and has indicated that the price could come down if more households contributed under a redesigned system. His comments suggest a degree of alignment between the corporation's leadership and the committee's diagnosis, even if the two sides differ on specific spending decisions.

Beyond the licence fee, the committee offered a series of proposals aimed at strengthening the BBC's position. It floated the idea of an international television licence to boost revenue and expand the corporation's global audience. It encouraged the BBC to work more closely with independent production companies that hold rights to many of its programmes, so that more of that content remains available on iPlayer rather than disappearing. It also suggested developing the BBC's physical premises with facilities designed to harness new media and support the creator economy.

The report directed several recommendations at the government as well. MPs want ministers to legislate for a dedicated BBC button on smart TV remote controls, making it easier for viewers to find the corporation's services. They also called on the government to press YouTube to give greater prominence to content produced by the BBC and other British public service broadcasters. In addition, the committee urged the government to restore full funding for the BBC World Service, which it described as "the UK's number one soft power asset."

On the question of collaboration between public service broadcasters, the committee backed opening up BBC iPlayer to programmes from rival networks such as Channel 4. The suggestion received a timely boost earlier in the week when Channel 4's chief executive, Priya Dogra, said publicly that she was open to her network's content being hosted on the iPlayer platform. Such a move would represent a significant shift in how Britain's public service broadcasters cooperate in the streaming era.

The report also waded into governance matters, calling for an end to political appointments to the BBC board as a means of shoring up public trust and improving oversight. Furthermore, it recommended that the corporation be handed new public purposes focused on innovation and technology, and on countering misinformation and disinformation — areas where the BBC is already active but which MPs believe deserve formal recognition in its remit.

The BBC broadly welcomed the report, describing it as containing "some important and interesting recommendations" about its future. A spokesperson reiterated the corporation's long-standing position that the current funding model is outdated and requires reform. The findings land as the government weighs its options for the next Royal Charter, the document that will determine how the BBC is governed, regulated and paid for from 2028 onwards — a decision that will shape the future of British broadcasting for years to come.