BBC director-general Tim Davie is on his ‘last strike’ after a series of scandals has plunged the BBC into chaos but the corporation is determined to save him, sources have claimed.
The corporation is facing serious questions after it came under attack on three fronts this week.
And while there is widespread feeling Davie is one scandal away from losing his high-profile role, a former executive told The Sunday Times that the BBC has deployed ‘Operation Save Tim’.
On Monday, the BBC was forced to admit that its documentary about children in Gaza had breached editorial guidelines by failing to disclose that the narrator was the son of a senior Hamas official.
Hours later, a damning probe into Gregg Wallace’s behaviour on MasterChef was published, with 45 out of 83 complaints, including one count of ‘unwanted physical contact’, upheld.
The report also upheld two out of 10 complaints – relating to swearing and racist language – made into other individuals, who were not identified.
That was until the BBC was thrown into another crisis when Wallace’s co-host John Torode publicly declared that he was the individual who had used racist language.
Torode, 59, was sacked on Tuesday in a move he claims the BBC had not made him aware of. He said he was ‘seeing and reading’ he had been dropped from the show and had ‘no recollection’ of making a racist comment.
In the following days, it was reported that he had used the N-word at a filming wrap part in 2019 while singing along to Gold Digger by Kanye West.
The corporation is facing series questions after it came under attack on three fronts this week. Pictured: Tim Davie
MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode have both been sacked following a report into their behaviour
The BBC was forced on Monday to admit that its documentary about children in Gaza had breached editorial guidelines by failing to disclose that the narrator, Abdullah al-Yazouri, (pictured) was the son of a senior Hamas official
Bob Vylan performing during the Glastonbury Festival where he led chants of ‘death, death to the IDF’
But the investigation is understood to have upheld a separate complaint made the year prior when he used the same racist word on the MasterChef set.
A BBC News report claims the racial slur was directed towards a MasterChef staff member.
The Gaza documentary and MasterChef scandals add to a tumultuous period for the BBC, who also came under fire for their handling of the live streaming of Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set last month.
The band sparked a backlash after leading chants of ‘death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] during a live broadcast on the BBC.
The BBC also said it will no longer broadcast live performances deemed ‘high risk’ – as Bob Vylan had been assessed – and its director of music, Lorna Clarke, also reportedly stepped back from her day-to-day duties.
The corporation issued an apology after the Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, saying: ‘We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community.
‘We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.
After Glastonbury, which Davie attended, culture secretary Lisa Nandy told parliament there was a ‘problem of leadership’ at the BBC.
Samir Shah (pictured) has doubled down on his support for the director-general
But BBC chair Samir Shah has doubled down on his support for the director-general, insisting Davie ‘has shown strength, confidence and decisive leadership in a very challenging environment’.
Another insider claimed his position with some board members was ‘more precarious than people realise’ after the Glastonbury scandal, but this was disputed by a source close to the board who insisted they were backing him.
While the scandals alone would not be enough to see Davie sacked, the revolving door of scandals has raised huge questions about the management of the BBC.
It also comes at a time when Davie’s salary jumped £20,000 to £547,000, while Deborah Turness, the BBC News chief executive, saw hers rise £17,000 to £431,000.
Since Davie became director-general in September 2020, the BBC has shelled out almost £10million addressing scandals.
Almost half of that – £4.5million – comes from the fallout from the Martin Bashir 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana.
The BBC has a £4.5million from the fallout from the Martin Bashir 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana
The BBC also faced a £1.3million bill from the Huw Edwards scandal, although the report’s findings have never been published
Although the original controversy came before Davie took on his role, the sum includes £539,000 of legal fees in fighting journalist Andy Webb’s internal emails about the scandal.
Another £3.3million was spent on an external investigation into its handling of complaints about Radio 1 presenter Tim Westwood. Allegations against Westwood were first made public in 2022 when several women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has strongly denied all allegations.
A review, which was carried out by barrister Gemma White KC and included contributions from more than 120 people, found people were ‘concerned that they would not be believed or might be blamed’ for his alleged behaviour because he was so ‘popular’.
The BBC also faced a £1.3million bill from the Huw Edwards scandal, although the report’s findings have never been published. The review into the Gaza documentary, carried out by the director of editorial complaints Peter Johnston, cost £98,500.
The Sunday Times reports that there is widespread feeling at the BBC and the wider media that Davie cannot afford another crisis, but his allies remain supportive and warn ‘nobody should underestimate his strong survival instincts’.
