Quality television is in a fight for survival, Jeremy Paxman warned on Friday, as he accused industry bosses of a “catastrophic, collective loss of nerve” about the medium’s purpose.

The Newsnight presenter called on TV executives to provide “a clear, unambiguous statement of ambition” as he likened their “preposterous” reaction to this summer’s crisis of trust to “self-flagellating monks offering pre-emptive cringes to all and sundry”.