License fee payers have questioned the BBC's New Year's Eve broadcast of a Gary Barlow live show, with viewers complaining that the 45 minute show was little more than an extended advert for his new album.
Barlow, who put on perhaps the most vanilla NYE show imaginable with the Big Ben Bash, was the big hit on the night behind the fireworks, pulling in a total of 10.2 million viewers. The firework show on the Thames however raked in total figures of 13.7 million.
However questions have been raised by audiences on Twitter as to whether tax payers money should have been used to fund what has been deemed by some as simply an extended advert for the singer's new album. This follows the BBC being forced to drop a day of programming dedicated to Barlow on Radio 2 following further criticism.
Good ol Gary Barlow gets 45 mins of advert on BBC free to promote his album not bad gazza
— MISSyouNEVERmind© (@CHELSEAFCCCCC) January 1, 2014
Gary Barlow brought 2014 to a crippling start from which it may never recover, by singing the Morrison's advert. #NYE
— Dan Thornton (@fatmanonabike) January 1, 2014
*Head bangs to Gary Barlow singing the Morrisons advert*
— Cassie Willow (@CassieWillowx) January 1, 2014
Happy New Year... to all the Gary Barlow lovers x pic.twitter.com/2I7D8zZMUS
— Rob Dicken (@1970RobD) December 31, 2013
