The BBC has brought in a debt collection firm to help chase households suspected of not paying the TV licence fee, as the broadcaster tries to plug a growing hole in its finances. The corporation has hired Themis Recoveries to send enforcement letters to homes thought to be avoiding the fee. The BBC says licence fee evasion has now risen to 12.5%, compared with less than 7% five years ago.

The company will work alongside Capita, which already carries out licence fee enforcement and can send officers to people's homes. The move comes as the annual TV licence fee has risen to £180 for the first time. The BBC is also facing falling income as more people cancel their licences or switch to streaming services.

A report by MPs last year found that the BBC could be losing up to £550million a year due to licence fee evasion. Themis Recoveries has previously been linked to attempts to recover debts from two people who were victims of fraud, The Telegraph reports.

The case involved a couple who were caught up in a £7,300 identity fraud after a cricketer staying with them allegedly took out loans in their names in 2019. Themis was later asked by short-term lender Likely Loans to help recover the money. The company said it had done nothing wrong and acted on the information given to it by its client.

Former BBC executive David Elstein said many people who stop paying are being treated as evaders, even though some have simply stopped watching live television.

He said non-payment was rising because enforcement had become weaker, more homes were moving to streaming, and some viewers were unhappy with BBC programmes.

Prosecutions for non-payment have also fallen. Figures given in Parliament showed there were 28,542 cases in the year ending 2024, down from 39,870 the year before.

The BBC is currently going through a major Charter review, which could lead to big changes in how it is funded. Options could include adverts on the BBC website and YouTube, subscriptions, or paywalls for some content.

A TV Licensing spokesman said the BBC works "hard to support people in staying licensed so that they avoid a potential criminal conviction for non-payment of the licence fee".

They added that the Themis campaign explains when a licence is needed, how people can say they do not need one, and where to get help.

Michael Court, director of Themis Global, said the company "prides itself on its faultless compliance record".

On the fraud victims' case, he said Themis "acted in good faith based on the information provided to them by their client".