Ex-BBC chief quits National Gallery over Diana interview

Former BBC Director-General Tony Hall announced that he has resigned as the National Gallery's chairman after an inquiry into the British broadcaster's 1995 interview with Princess Diana.

London:Former BBC Director-General Tony Hall announced that he has resigned as the National Gallery's chairman after an inquiry into the British broadcaster's 1995 interview with Princess Diana.

Continuing in the role "would be a distraction", Xinhuanews agency quoted Hall, who was director of BBC news during the time of the interview conducted by journalist Martin Bashir, as saying in his announcement on Saturday.

"I am very sorry for the events of 25 years ago and I believe leadership means taking responsibility," he said in a statement.

Hall had been a trustee of the National Gallery since November 2019 and became Chairman of the board in July 2020.

The latest development came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he was "obviously very concerned" about the findings of the inquiry into the interview, which said that the broadcaster "fell below its high standards of integrity and transparency".

The Met Police has said it will assess the contents of the inquiry to ensure there is no "significant new evidence" to support a criminal investigation.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the report "reveals damning failings at the heart of the BBC and he will consider whether further governance reforms are needed".

Prince William and his brother Harry have both criticised the BBC's failures surrounding the Panorama interview with their mother.

Prince William said the interview made a "major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse", adding it has "since hurt countless others".

A report published on May 20 by the independent inquiry said the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over its interview with Princess Diana.

Bashir had acted in a "deceitful" way and faked documents to obtain the interview while the BBC's own internal probe in 1996 into what happened was "woefully ineffective", the inquiry said.

The inquiry found Bashir mocked up fake bank statements that falsely suggested individuals were being paid for keeping the princess under surveillance.

He later showed the fake documents to Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, to gain his trust to gain access to the Princess of Wales and persuade her to agree to give the interview.

The BBC carried out its own investigation into the issue in 1996, but it "fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency", according to the inquiry.

Bashir, who is one of the UK's best-known journalists and had also made headlines for his 2003 interview with the late pop star Michael Jackson, has stepped down from his role as the BBC's religion editor, the corporation confirmed last week.

IANS