This week the BBC announced an increase in the television licence fee to cover the cost of the digital service available as an optional extra, providing viewers with more channels and therefore, more choice. However, the news that viewers who do not own BBC Digital are also having to pay for the privilege has been met with widespread criticism.

The Cornish Times, keen to discover the mood in Liskeard, asked local people whether they still believed that the BBC was offering them a good service.

Mr and Mrs Carey of Liskeard believed that the BBC is the best broadcasting service currently available. Said Mr Carey: "I believe the standard of the BBC is on the increase after a bad patch, although a week's worth of 'Eastenders' has driven me mad."

Mrs Carey agreed: "We always tune in to the BBC first because we do believe they have the best programmes on offer. Personally, I don't mind paying a little extra for the licence fee, although I am concerned about the level of violence which is creeping into some programmes."

Maggie and David Brown, visiting Cornwall from the Isle of White, also maintained that the BBC is good value for money but felt that having to pay extra for the digital service they will not be buying was very unfair.

David said: "I'm really not tempted by digital. Yes, there's more choice but it really is a case of quantity winning out over quality."

Maggie was particularly concerned about older viewers: "It is a great deal to ask someone to pay for something they may not own and it worries me that older people will not be able to hang on to their television sets if they can't keep up with the ever increasing licence fee."

Colin Brody and his grandchildren, Peter and David had mixed views. Young David was quite happy to watch any channel as long as it offered something exciting. Colin was very adamant that the BBC had lost its crown as the best television broadcaster in the world.

He said: "The BBC cannot justify this licence fee increase at all. Quite honestly, BBC 1 just isn't good enough anymore. Yes, it's my first stop for the news and I do like 'Eastenders' but that really is it. There's too much money going to the 'fat-cats' at the beeb and not enough towards quality programming."

Denis Hackwood will receive his free licence in November but had some strong opinions about the news.

"If I wasn't getting my free licence, I think I'd get rid of the telly, quite frankly." he said.

"The programme's are really poor. The good ones are repeats and they've been repeated again and again and again!"

Mr Hackwood also felt that the BBC's policy for paying for digital TV was unfair for those people who did not own it. However, he did argue in favour of the other digital services on offer.

"I don't know exactly what the BBC has on offer but Sky Digital is very good. I hardly watch regular TV with that installed."

Mrs Chapman of Liskeard was not happy with the BBC at all.

She said: "There are simply too many repeats and it's worrying when these programmes knock spots of the new stuff, but then, do we really have to sit through them all again?"

Mrs Chapman said that her daughter Emily preferred the childrens' programmes on ITV. "The BBC is no longer the best. I don't think that a residue of goodwill from people who remember it in its heyday is going to wash with licence payers forced to pay more for digital when they don't have it or don't want it."