What exactly is the purpose of the BBC nowadays - to entertain, educate and inform? But is that all? The broadcaster itself claims to be a fearless and independent provider of news tasked with 'speaking truth to power' - a true champion of the underdog.

However, as David Sedgwick reveals in his new book the reality is somewhat different: not only does the BBC diligently protect power from scrutiny, it attacks and attempts to discredit those who dare to challenge the status quo.

Formed in 1922 by the British establishment, the BBC has always been a reliable ally of ultra-wealthy and powerful interests. Indeed, the broadcaster occupies a pivotal position within an international corporate-political alliance which promotes only those narratives which consolidate the 'global order.'

Using multiple examples of BBC reporting, the author argues that the tax-payer funded broadcaster is a proxy which acts on behalf of a tiny, but very powerful clique - a role which compels it to pump out disinformation on an industrial scale, misleading all those who consume its content.