John Whittingdale OBE MP is former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. A Member of Parliament for over 30 years, he also previously chaired the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee during its most famous moment \u2013 when a pie was tossed in the face of media mogul Rupert Murdoch at the end of a session. The Sun dubbed John \u2018Maggie\u2019s Toy Boy\u2019 when in 1988, aged just 28, he became then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher\u2019s political secretary. In this in-depth interview, John discusses how people are surprised when they hear of the \u201cvast range of responsibilities\u201d he had when leading the DCMS \u2013 including overseeing the work of The National Lottery, leading on policy relating to blockchain and the digital economy, and promoting the UK on a global stage; praises the BBC as \u201cthe finest broadcaster in the world\u201d and acknowledges that it may \u201csurprise some people\u201d to hear his strong support \u2013 making the case again for the continuation of the licence fee settlement; and shares the challenges involved in balancing protecting the vulnerable from \u201charmful content online\u201d yet preserving the core democratic principle of free speech \u2013 a conundrum which gave rise to the predictably divisive Online Safety Bill.