What was the question again ?

The patchy, piecework inquiry into the future of the BBC by the Culture Select Committee stutters to an end next week, close to its first birthday.

There have been ten witness sessions - the last, next Tuesday, features new-kids-on-the-block Rona Fairhead and Sajid Javid. Rona is supported by old-lag-Trustee David Liddiment and saved-from-the DCMS Jon Zeff, now BBC Trust Director. Sajid, in line with most Tories, has moved the debate about Charter Renewal away from challenging core principles and re-shaping our broadcast landscape for a digital future, into a financial limbo-dancing session - how low can we make the licence fee without upsetting Middle Britain ?

The other witnesses have, in general, been noticeable for their grey hair. Danny Cohen of the BBC and Michelle Stanistreet of the NUJ look to have been the youngest, followed by James Purnell. I can spot few others under 50 - Cat Lewis of Nine Lives, policy wonks Magnus Brooke and David Wheeldon of ITV and Sky respectively, and Dan Brooke of C4.

Let's hope that Whittingdale's sherpas can concoct some interesting lines out of the written submissions - there's little in the oral evidence so far that looks like fresh thinking.