Why I became a Governor
I was pleased to become a Governor because I feel it's important that since Governors are there to act on behalf of everybody, we should be drawn from as wide a range of people as possible. Licence fee payers come from every background, opinion, age and experience: so should we. And I suppose I felt that my background and experience would bring a different perspective from other Governors'.
I'm originally a dancer by profession, but I've also been extensively involved in both broadcasting, in television and radio, and in writing. The arts are very important to the BBC and the Governing body should include people with experience in that area. My background means that I bring a particular expertise to discussions. However, I'm not just a representative for the arts and, like every Governor, my overriding responsibility is to all licence payers.
I think the BBC is extremely important and unique because it belongs to the nation. Not to the Government of the day, not to any special interest, just...the people. I also think it matters enormously because of its reach - the way it connects people across the country, from different cultures, religions, backgrounds, ages, and helps us to learn about one another.
It's also enormously important to the arts, both as a major commissioner of and showcase for new music, from rock to classical, and as an active patron - the BBC's orchestras, for example, which play a major part in supporting music and musical talent throughout the country.
And the BBC impacts on such an amazingly broad scale. At one end the BBC is responsible for things like The Secret Policeman, which deal with key social issues of national consequence, but also at a very local level. I heard a wonderful story about an announcer on a local radio station who mentioned in passing that he fancied a bit of soup, and 20 minutes later a local listener turned up at the door of the studio with a steaming mug full! I don't know of any other organisation to which so many people feel so immensely connected.
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