As a Brit living abroad, I can tell you why fighting for the BBC is so important

The BBC is an influencer that invested millions of pounds in producing a documentary that changed the western world's understanding of two thirds of our planet's ecosystem

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Conductor Alpesh Chauhan. (Scott Kershaw/BBC )

Britain’s last remaining truly global export is our culture. While culture comes in many forms - all of which are important, and all of them at threat - the most mobile and transportable is entertainment content. As a Brit living and working in the US, I see firsthand that my country is known and revered for everything from Top Gear to The Office, from the Natural World series to Radio 1's Live Lounge - and, of course, that quintessentially British export, ITV’s Downton Abbey.

Now the BBC, one of our few cultural institutions held in highest regard across the world, is being forced to defend its right to make big entertainment programmes, under pressure by government to bow to fierce competition from other broadcasters.

The majority of the content that we are known for is commissioned and aired by the BBC, and loved the world over. President Obama even met BBC naturalist David Attenborough to talk about climate change and what can be done to sway popular thinking on the issue. The extent of the BBC’s reach and significance cannot be over-estimated.

All this comes at the very small price – the licence fee - and yet despite its essential influence, the BBC is under attack. We must fight to protect it to prevent our once great nation from falling into international obscurity.

The BBC is now offering more services across more platforms with greater longevity and more choice for viewers and users at a lower cost than ever before. If its benefits are calculated against this cost there is no equal commercial competitor.

The BBC is also held to account by the people of Britain, not advertising brands. British news broadcasters working from the BBC can say whatever they want without fear of a producer worrying about the next pay-cheque. Yes it makes mistakes: it follows confirmation biases; it often uses the wrong words to describe people, communities and movements; sometimes it follows, rather than leads. But this criticism, and openness to it, is part of what makes it great. Our voices are heard and can – often, in fact, do – effect change in editorial policies. Try that with Fox News.

Whether as a consumer you like or dislike the BBC, the competition is provides across the global media is good for everyone. A well-funded, efficiently run and confidently led BBC has been, and should continue to be, an incredible source for innovation throughout the 20th and 21st Century, hopefully beyond. The BBC is an influencer: from the iPlayer, to the design of the BBC news website, to simply having the balls to invest millions of pounds in producing an eight-part cinemographic documentary about our oceans that took four whole years to make but ultimately changed the western world's understanding of two thirds of our planet's ecosystem.

The BBC has pushed consumers and its competitors further and further. We demand more, because they show us we can have more.