Every week some 3,500 are hauled through a magistrate’s court on the BBC’s behalf, making up one in eight criminal prosecutions. As the convictions mount, the ugly side of Auntie is becoming harder to ignore. Even devoted fans of the BBC can wish it were self-financing, simply to stop the prosecutions. I’m a voracious consumer of BBC’s output, and would happily pay the licence fee for John Humphrys alone (or CBeebies). But indefensibly, my BBC addiction is subsidised by families who need £145.50 more than they need more TV channels. The debate about the licence fee is becoming one of basic fairness, yet it’s a debate which Mr Cameron is likely to duck. He has asked the BBC to finance the free licences for the over-75s, and has decided to leave it at that.