This Week: Trouble Again At The BBC. Bohemian Cards Take A Look At What It Needs To Do To Restore Trust

Week commencing November 10th 2025

Old institutions really aren’t having a good time of it right now, are they? Although it’s probably a good thing that they’re questioned and have time to correct course if it’s not too late. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to wonder if it is.

So over the weekend, the national broadcaster of the UK, the BBC, yet again found itself embroiled in unedifying scandal, giving fuel to those who would like to see the compulsory license fee dispensed with along with its role as national broadcaster. Not one of its many presenter sex scandals this time, but serious complaints about trust and editorial bias on a number of fronts, which has led to the resignation of both the Director General and the head of news. Unlike most media outlets which bend one way or the other politically, the BBC, funded by the UK public, is obliged through its its charter to political impartiality and strict factual scrutiny. So the discovery that a news report had spliced Trump’s 6 January speech to make it sound as if his exhortations to riot were more explicit than they were was an avoidable own goal, although not necessarily one of its worst. Naturally, from across the pond Mr Trump is making the most of this, threatening to sue, and right wingers this side are having a field day.

My question for the cards was “What can the BBC do to restore long term trust and loyalty as a British (and international) institution?”

The oracle system I’m using this time is what I prefer to call the Bohemian Cards (aka Austro-Hungarian “Gypsy” or “Zigeuner” cards). And the spread I’m using is a classic for this deck specifically called the “Traditional Hungarian Gypsy’s Answer”.

Find out how to lay and read that one here:

The cards I’ve chosen to represent that “ideal” outcome are the House, Fidelity and Constancy to represent the level of trust it needs to have.

Here’s how they fell…

The Cards (from the top)

House, Fidelity, Constancy; Loss, Lover, Visit; Journey, Jealousy, Love; Judge, Surprise, Thief; Misfortune, Baby, Widow

Underlying: Message

And if you’d like a printable detailed list of card meanings from this classic deck, you can get hold of that here:

Meanwhile, here’s what I think the spread is saying:

The Reading

“What can the BBC do to restore long term trust and loyalty as a British institution?”

So we start with the three cards at the bottom, which show a disaster or collapse (Misfortune), a Child or young person, perhaps a small project, and the grieving of a Widow. As this is meant to be the ‘answer to the question’, it looks as if it needs to mourn and let go of something (or maybe someone) ‘young’ in the organisation, something new, which has proved to be a disaster. Unusual, perhaps, but here, it seems a new way has been tried but really hasn’t worked - time to let it go.

Looking at the cards in the recent past position, we have jealousy and envy, progress marching on or flying forward somehow (Journey) bringing jealousy and envy in love and relationships (Jealousy, Love). Huh?

This seems like envy and bad feeling, then, at the direction something has taken, could be a big problem here, or passionate “jealousy?” Tribalism?

Right now, the cards show a loss and a particular man (Loss, Lover), so this could be the outgoing DG, and a Visit, so perhaps a meeting or coming together.Or something on the way.

Ahead? Before that trust can be restored, it seems a judgement or legal action bringing a surprise theft or snatching of something the BBC has (Judge, Unexpected Joy, Thief). I suspect a sudden shocking judgement, then, possibly from an outsider or (more hopefully) someone genuinely impartial. Only this, the cards suggest, can restore the trust in the institution.

Reading the columns down, you have, associated with this disaster, losses due, apparently to jealousy or envy, possibly from overseas or for a ‘passionate journey’ or rate of progress? (Loss, Jealousy, Misfortune, Journey, Love). So restoring stability may mean less passion and ‘sides’ which has been disastrous.

We also have something to do with the particular man or men and the ‘message’ of youth (Lover, Message, Baby). Perhaps restoring more of a broad church in terms of its public service messaging, not just pandering to the youth wing? This appears to involve a message of passion or love being judged (Love, Message, Judge) so maybe the quality of communications

Finally, we have the ‘visitation’. of a surprise which could well be a shock one that causes grieving for what has been lost (Visit, Unexpected Joy, Widow). A “thieving” judge or legal judgement, something being taken away.

So today’s question in the wake of the resignation of the Director General of the BBC and the feud with Trump (which is only a small part of it actually) “What can the BBC do to restore long term trust and loyalty as a British institution?”

The cards show a disaster or collapse involving a child or young person, perhaps a small project, and the grieving of a widow, looking back, mourning. As this is meant to be the ‘answer to the question’, it looks as if it needs to mourn and let go of something (or maybe someone) ‘young’ in the organisation, something new, which has proved to be a disaster. Unusual, perhaps, but here, it seems a new way has been tried but really hasn’t worked - time to let it go.

Looking at the cards in the recent past position, we have jealousy and envy, progress marching on or flying forward somehow bringing jealousy and envy in love and relationships. Huh? It seems like envy and bad feeling, then, at the direction something has taken, could be a big problem here, or passionate “jealousy?” Seething hatred of the ‘other’? Tribalism?

Right now, the cards show a loss and a particular man so this could be the outgoing DG, and a visit, so perhaps a meeting or coming together.Or something on the way.

Ahead? Before that trust can be restored, it seems a judgement or legal action bringing a surprise theft or snatching of something the BBC has. I suspect a sudden shocking judgement, then, possibly from an outsider or (more hopefully) someone genuinely impartial. Only this, the cards suggest, can restore the trust and stability in the institution.

Reading the columns down, you have, associated with this disaster, losses due, apparently to jealousy or envy, possibly from overseas or for a ‘passionate journey’ or rate of progress? So restoring stability may mean less passion and ‘sides’ which has been disastrous.

We also have something to do with the particular man or men and the ‘message’ of youth, Perhaps restoring more of a broad church in terms of its public service messaging, not just pandering to the youth wing? This appears to involve a message of passion or love being judged so maybe the quality of communications, affection rather than passions?

Finally, we have the ‘visitation’. of a surprise which could well be a shock one that causes grieving for what has been lost. A “thieving” judge or legal judgement, something being taken away would need to happen before trust is restored.