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Furious Brits have reacted to a BBC licence fee advert that was shown during half-time of the broadcaster's World Cup final coverage. Some viewers have slammed the advert as "desperate" while others have threatened to cancel their licence.

The advert, fronted by comedian Romesh Ranganathan, is titled "What has the BBC ever done for me?" and features a number of household names from across the network's flagship shows, including Sir David Attenborough and Mary Berry. In the advert, Ranganathan walks around, complaining about paying the £ 180-per-year fee, and questions what the BBC provides. However, viewers have taken to social media since halftime of the World Cup final to slam the broadcaster.

Andy Russell wrote on X: "That BBC licence fee advert at half time in the World Cup just made me decide I need to cancel TV licence. They are getting desperate."

Meanwhile, an account named A.Blabbington, added: "Laughable effort from the @BBC during the half-time in the FIFA World Cup trying to get people to pay for a license. Nobody will. I obviously pay for it but we've talked about stopping it because other than this game and Eurovision, we never use it."

Daniel Hannan, the former MEP for South East England and current Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: "The BBC is now claiming that the money that it extracts from licence payers creates billions of pounds. That idiotic assertion alone should have it shut down."

Journalist Stephen Pollard added: "Is there anything more persuasive of what's wrong with the BBC than it using half-time of the World Cup final to show a propaganda video paid for by the licence fee to tell us why we need to pay for the BBC?"

Steve Power put: "How much did that excruciating self promotion for the BBC in the half time break cost to make? Did all participants devote their time for nothing? Skin crawling and another passive aggressive attempt to bully into buying a TV licence." (SIC)

The BBC licence is legally required if you watch or record live TV on any channel, stream live content, or use BBC iPlayer. The fee currently funds the BBC's television, radio, and online services.

However, it remains a major national subject of debate, with the Government actively exploring ways to overhaul the system. Data shows that around 23.3 million households have a TV licence, but numbers have dropped by 539,000 over the last year.

It's estimated that around 80% of UK households now pay the fee. This is a significant drop from the 90% figure a decade ago.

A BBC spokesperson told Express: "For more than 100 years, the BBC has helped shape who we are as a country and how the world sees us. It is a priceless asset for the UK which has never been more needed, and this film showcases the breadth of programmes, services and value the BBC delivers, helping audiences across the UK understand its role and impact as we make the case for its future."