Cornish and the new BBC Royal Charter

Article by Cllr Dick Cole published in the Cornish Guardian 11th February 2026) and West Briton newspapers (12th February 2026)

The Cornish Language has been all over the news again, thanks to Tesco putting up Welsh language signage in their Helston store! It must be acknowledged that there are many similarities between Cornwall and Wales with our shared Celtic heritage, but I have no idea as to how the error could have happened. That said, it has provided another wonderful opportunity to publicise Cornish following the fantastic news that the UK Government had agreed that protection for the language to be upgraded from part II to part III of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.

Securing part III status was a great win for Cornish speakers and campaigners, but there is still so much to do to boost support for the language. At this time, I hope that many people will join me in responding to a consultation on the renewal of the BBC Royal Charter, which was recently launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The present Royal Charter has a commitment to broadcasting in the “regional and minority languages of the United Kingdom through its output and services and through partnerships with other organisations.” The problem for Cornish is that the document specifies that the languages covered were “Welsh, Scottish-Gaelic, Irish and Ulster Scots.”

I have viewed the consultation paperwork and it has quite a lot to say about minority languages. For example, it notes that: “The BBC plays a crucial role in supporting the various native languages across the British Isles. The Government recognises the valuable contribution that providers of minority language broadcasting have in our society and the preservation of our national heritage. Sustainable funding is crucial to ensuring that the BBC can continue its support of minority language speakers.”

But I am disappointed because – unlike the other Celtic tongues – Cornish was not specifically mentioned in the document. It is only two years since the UK Government agreed a Media Act, which included a commitment to a “sufficient quantity of audiovisual content that is in, or mainly in, a recognised regional or minority language” and included Cornish in its list of such languages. So why hasn’t Cornish been mentioned in relation to the BBC Charter?

The BBC Charter consultation can be accessed online and it will close on 10th March. It contains many questions but has limited scope to make the case for the Cornish language and a Cornish Public Service Media, so I will soon be writing to Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. I hope many others will as well.

https://mebyonkernow.org/news/cornish-and-the-new-bbc-royal-charter/