Professor Andrew Crissell (Design and Media, University of Sunderland, UK) discusses a recent radio show in which Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand caused public outrage by leaving a lewd message on a celebrity's answerphone. The presentation asks two questions: How did such material come to be broadcast by the BBC, the archetypal public service broadcaster? And what is the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) in the United Kingdom? In addressing these points it explores what the PSB concept is - how it originated, what problems it later encountered, and what role public broadcasting performs today. The presentation suggests a way in which public service broadcasting might withstand the challenges of a multi-channelled future, and expresses a view on its chances of survival. Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.