Maria In the UK you cannot legally watch TV without a licence.
This licence provides the funding for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC)
Our other channels ITV, channel 4 and channel 5 are funded by advertisement and an hourly programme is segmented by 4 advert breaks. Whereas a similar programme on a BBC channel will be advert free and will run continuously.
We pay an annual fee per household not per TV set of £139.50 for colour or £47.50 for black and white.
I found these entries listed below on the TV Licensing website.
The first is the main reason why us Brits have been indoctrinated to worry about not having a TV Licence. The second is from a section of comedy excuses people have given when the detector van has been sent round to address which doesn't have a TV licence listed....
Using TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV without a valid licence is against the law.
It is an offence which could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000 (plus legal costs), not to mention the embarrassment and hassle of a court appearance. |
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While visiting a property that was listed as not having a TV Licence, a woman answered the door together with some young children. The woman apologised for being in such a fluster and explained that she had just moved in and was on her way out to collect her other children from school.
The Enforcement Officer asked if she had managed to get a TV Licence sorted. She said she had and she knew exactly where it was - in a shoebox on top of the wardrobe in the upstairs front bedroom. She asked if he could call back later.
When he returned, the woman's husband answered the door. The Enforcement Officer asked if he could see the TV Licence. The man explained that they were in a bit of a state as they had just moved in and he didn't know where the licence was, his wife normally looked after that sort of thing.
At the exact moment that the officer explained that the licence was in a shoebox on top of the wardrobe in the upstairs front bedroom, a detector van drove past. "Flippin' heck," the man said, "I knew your detector vans were good but I didn't know they were that good." |
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here's the link if anyone wants to read the others
www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/excuses.jsp
To understand the first one listed Maria, Michael Fish is the name of a man who used to be a weather forcaster on BBC.
"He became a subject of infamy in the wake of the Great Storm of 1987; a few hours before the storm broke, on 15 October 1987, he said during a forecast: "Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way... well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!".
That evening, the worst storm to hit South East England since 1703 caused record damages and killed 19 people." (As listed in Wikipedia)
Hope that helps 
This message was last edited by semijubilada on 9/11/2008.