Some suggestions for new villains for future BBC drama

By Tim Montgomerie
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A new poll finds that 14% of British people think that the American government was involved in a conspiracy that orchestrated the 9/11 atrocity. In other words we are sharing the streets with about nine million people who are slightly crackers.

Perhaps this 14% spends too much time watching conspiratorial BBC drama. I made the mistake of tuning into last night's BBC2 play, Page Eight. I should, of course, have known that any play by David Hare was going to annoy me but I was enticed by endless trailers on Radio 4 (the Corporation was clearly proud of its latest political drama). So, what was it about? Every one of the Left's enemies was under fire. America. The defence industry. The intelligence services. Banks. Special Branch. A very Blair-like Prime Minister. And last but certainly not least, the evil Israel. All, yawn, were exposed as rotten. (And yes, Graeme Archer, you were right, I should have known not to watch it).

I think it's unlikely the BBC will want my ideas for future drama programmes but they should know that there are other possible villains in the world.

What about a drama about Middle Eastern countries other than Israel with human rights records that are 100 times worse?

What about a programme that imagined a world where Russia or China - rather than America - was the world's policeman?

How about a drama about climate change academics that suppress and distort evidence?

Could the next villain be an EU Commissioner who presides over the mis-spent and corrupted aid budget?

Or highly-paid union barons who feather their own members' nests while opposing reforms that help poor pupils or protecting incompetent teachers from getting the sack?

I'm sure ConHome readers have other ideas...