jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pThe governance of the BBC has been a subject of political debate for the past two decades, which have brought two major upheavals in the corporation's governance structure. Yet, governance reform was not the best way to address the editorial and cultural crises that led to demands for change; and the current model is not adequate to protect licence fee payers’ interests and the BBC's independence, particularly in the context of continuing ideological assaults on public service broadcasting.</jats:p>