Matthew Moore, Media Correspondent

The BBC is desperate to appeal to more young people to justify its licence fee

The BBC is facing accusations of dumbing down after embracing "clickbait" articles to attract more young readers.

In recent months, readers of the BBC website have been confronted with headlines such as "6 times Joanna Lumley was absolutely fabulous", "5 things we learned from Justin Bieber's tour demands" and "6 shocks from the Mamma Mia 2 trailer".

Other stories published in the Arts & Entertainment section of the national broadcaster's website include "Here's why Pink's celeb crush sent her tiny underpants", "We barely recognise Noel Fielding as Alice Cooper" and "8 things you need to know about YouTuber Joe Sugg".

The increasing use of viral headlines has been criticised by licence fee-payers on social media and will increase concerns about the "imperial" ambitions of the…