I have, I hope, made clear in the foregoing how much the BBC has been a valued part of my life, not just as one privileged to serve two terms as a Governor but as one of the many who admired its standards and values, enjoyed its programmes, and used it as window and mirror to enlarge my knowledge and experience. I continue to wish the Corporation well in the future, but in these closing reflections I have to acknowledge dangers and failings, as well as triumphs and opportunities.

What was a virtual monopoly for a powerful radio-based medium when the wonderful and impossible John Reith took the helm of the infant Company and Corporation, has become over time only one player – albeit a powerful and prestigious one – in a very crowded marketplace of communications. The technological change and development presented to us not so long ago as futuristic visions have become current realities. The simple radio receiving sound or television receiving sound and pictures have been supplemented by a huge range of ever more versatile devices; the boundaries between camera, telephone, receiver and transmitter of sound, vision or text have completely broken down. These irreversible realities have inevitable implications for broadcasting and its funding. Potential income derived from licences permitting use of conventional radio and television sets will be at risk in a future where a growing number of consumers will look elsewhere and use other technologies for most or all of their information or entertainment.