OurBeeb forum session 1: funding and the licence fee

Anthony is the honorary president of openDemocracy. He was its founding editor-in-chief (2001-7), the co-director of The Convention on Modern Liberty (2009) and the first director of Charter 88 (1988-95). His most recent books are ‘The Lure of Greatness: England's Brexit and America's Trump’ (2017) and ‘Taking Control!: Humanity and America after Trump and the Pandemic’ (2022). He is a trustee of openTrust. His collected articles can be found on Authory and he posts on X at @AnthonyBarnett

David Elstein is a former chair of openDemocracy's board. Previously he launched Channel 5 as its chief executive, worked for BSkyB as head of programming, was director of programmes at Thames Television, managing director of Primetime Productions and managing director of Brook Productions.

His career as a producer/director started at the BBC in 1964, and his production credits include 'The World At War', This Week, Panorama, Weekend World, A Week In Politics, 'Nosenko' and 'Concealed Enemies'.

He has been a visiting professor at the universities of Westminster, Stirling and Oxford. He has also chaired Sparrowhawk Media, the British Screen Advisory Council, the Commercial Radio Companies Association, Really Useful Theatres, XSN plc, Sports Network Group, Silicon Media Group, Civilian Content plc and the National Film and Television School. He was also a director of Virgin Media Inc, Marine Track Holdings plc and Kingsbridge Capital Advisors.

Professor Lis Howell is Director of Broadcasting in the Journalism Department at City University London. She was Head of News at Border Television and won a Royal Television Society award for leading the coverage of the Lockerbie disaster.