Board of Governors of the BBC
Encyclopedia
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC
and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust
on 1 January 2007.
The governors were independent of the Director-General
and the rest of the BBC's executive team. They had no direct say in programme-making, but were nevertheless accountable to Parliament
and to licence fee payers for the BBC's actions. Although a 'state broadcaster', the BBC is theoretically protected from government interference due to the statutory independence of its governing body.
The Governors' role was to appoint the Director-General (and in earlier years, other key BBC staff). They approved strategy and policy, set objectives, oversaw complaints, and produced Annual Reports that documented the BBC's performance and compliance each year.
The role of chairman of the Board of Governors, though a non executive, was one of the most important positions in British media.
society. Appointments were part-time positions and lasted for four (formerly five) years. Four governors were given specific responsibilities: for Scotland
, Wales
, Northern Ireland
and the English
regions.
Governors were nominally appointed by the monarch
on the advice of ministers. In practice, governors were chosen by the government of the day. This has led to claims of political interference, in particular during the years of Margaret Thatcher
's premiership.
appointed a succession of governors with the apparent intent of bringing the BBC "into line" with government policy. Marmaduke Hussey was appointed chairman of the Board of Governors apparently with the specific agenda of bringing down the then-Director-General Alasdair Milne
; this government also broke the tradition of always having a trade union leader on the Board of Governors.
It has also been suggested that Harold Wilson
's appointment of the former Tory minister Lord Hill
as chairman of the Board of Governors in 1967 was motivated by a desire to undermine the radical, questioning agenda of Director-General Sir Hugh Greene
- ironically Wilson had attacked the appointment of Hill as Chairman of the Independent Television Authority
by a Conservative
government in 1963.
In January 2004 Gavyn Davies
, who had been appointed chairman of the Board of Governors by the Labour government in 2001, resigned in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry
. Lord Ryder, previously a Conservative MP
and a member of Margaret Thatcher's personal staff, replaced him as Acting Chairman. It has been claimed that Ryder and other Conservatives on the Board of Governors were effectively responsible for "forcing out" Director-General Greg Dyke
, who had not initially believed that his offer of resignation would be accepted by the Governors.
In May 2004, Michael Grade
took over as permanent chairman. He was to be the last permanent chairman of the Board of Governors.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
on 1 January 2007.
The governors were independent of the Director-General
Director-General of the BBC
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC.The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust....
and the rest of the BBC's executive team. They had no direct say in programme-making, but were nevertheless accountable to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
and to licence fee payers for the BBC's actions. Although a 'state broadcaster', the BBC is theoretically protected from government interference due to the statutory independence of its governing body.
The Governors' role was to appoint the Director-General (and in earlier years, other key BBC staff). They approved strategy and policy, set objectives, oversaw complaints, and produced Annual Reports that documented the BBC's performance and compliance each year.
The role of chairman of the Board of Governors, though a non executive, was one of the most important positions in British media.
Appointments
Governors were usually appointed from senior positions in various walks of BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
society. Appointments were part-time positions and lasted for four (formerly five) years. Four governors were given specific responsibilities: for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
regions.
Governors were nominally appointed by the monarch
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
on the advice of ministers. In practice, governors were chosen by the government of the day. This has led to claims of political interference, in particular during the years of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's premiership.
Controversy
The government of Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
appointed a succession of governors with the apparent intent of bringing the BBC "into line" with government policy. Marmaduke Hussey was appointed chairman of the Board of Governors apparently with the specific agenda of bringing down the then-Director-General Alasdair Milne
Alasdair Milne
Alasdair David Gordon Milne is a former BBC producer who became Controller of BBC Scotland, the BBC's Director of Programmes and then Director-General of the BBC in July 1982. His resignation was forced by the BBC Governors in January 1987, following pressure from the Thatcher government...
; this government also broke the tradition of always having a trade union leader on the Board of Governors.
It has also been suggested that Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
's appointment of the former Tory minister Lord Hill
Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton
Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton PC was a British administrator, doctor and television executive.Charles Hill was born in Islington, London and was educated at St Olave's Grammar School in Southwark, London. He won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge where he gained a first class degree...
as chairman of the Board of Governors in 1967 was motivated by a desire to undermine the radical, questioning agenda of Director-General Sir Hugh Greene
Hugh Greene
Sir Hugh Carleton Greene KCMG, OBE was a British journalist and television executive. He was the Director-General of the BBC from 1960―1969, and is generally credited with modernising an organisation that had fallen behind in the wake of the launch of ITV in 1955.-Early life and work:Hugh was born...
- ironically Wilson had attacked the appointment of Hill as Chairman of the Independent Television Authority
Independent Television Authority
The Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...
by a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government in 1963.
In January 2004 Gavyn Davies
Gavyn Davies
Gavyn Davies, OBE was the chairman of the BBC from 2001 until 2004, a former Goldman Sachs banker and a former economic advisor to the British Government...
, who had been appointed chairman of the Board of Governors by the Labour government in 2001, resigned in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry
Hutton Inquiry
The Hutton Inquiry was a 2003 judicial inquiry in the UK chaired by Lord Hutton, who was appointed by the Labour government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of David Kelly, a biological warfare expert and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq.On 18 July 2003, Kelly, an employee...
. Lord Ryder, previously a Conservative MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and a member of Margaret Thatcher's personal staff, replaced him as Acting Chairman. It has been claimed that Ryder and other Conservatives on the Board of Governors were effectively responsible for "forcing out" Director-General Greg Dyke
Greg Dyke
Gregory "Greg" Dyke is a British media executive, journalist and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing 'tabloid' television to British broadcasting, and reviving the ratings of TV-am...
, who had not initially believed that his offer of resignation would be accepted by the Governors.
In May 2004, Michael Grade
Michael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
took over as permanent chairman. He was to be the last permanent chairman of the Board of Governors.
Chairmen of the Board of Governors
- Joseph Albert Pease, 1st Baron Gainford (chairman of the British Broadcasting CompanyBritish Broadcasting CompanyThe British Broadcasting Company Ltd was a British commercial company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom and licensed by the British General Post Office...
, before incorporation) (1922) - George Herbert Hyde Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon (first chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation) (1927)
- John Henry WhitleyJohn Henry WhitleyJohn Henry Whitley , often known as J. H. Whitley, was a respected and successful British politician whose life and career spanned a period of significant social change, from roots in the heart of the Industrial Revolution through to the inter-war period.- Family and early career :John Henry...
(1930) - William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman (1935)
- Ronald Collet NormanRonald Collet NormanRonald Collet Norman JP was a banker, administrator and politician.He was chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1935 to 1939 and of the London County Council from 1918 to 1919. He was the son of Frederick Henry Norman of the Norman family, long prominent in banking.In 1907 he was...
(1935) - Sir Allan PowellSir Allan PowellSir George Allan Powell , was Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors between 1939 and 1946.He was educated at Bancroft's School and at King's College London, and was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1907....
(1940) - Philip Inman, 1st Baron InmanPhilip Inman, 1st Baron InmanPhilip Inman, 1st Baron Inman PC was a British Labour politician.-Background and education:Inman was the son of Philip Inman , of Knaresborough, Yorkshire, by his wife Hannah Bickerdyke, of Great Ouseburn, Yorkshire. He was educated at Headingley College, Leeds, and Leeds University...
(1947) - Ernest Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe (1947)
- Sir Alexander Cadogan (1952)
- Sir Arthur ffordeArthur ffordeSir Arthur Frederic Brownlow fforde, GBE, was a solicitor, civil servant, headmaster, writer and businessman. The surname fforde is spelled with two lowercase f's....
(1957) - Sir James Fitzjames Duff (1964)
- Norman Craven Brook, 1st Baron Normanbrook (1964)
- Lord Hill of LutonCharles Hill, Baron Hill of LutonCharles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton PC was a British administrator, doctor and television executive.Charles Hill was born in Islington, London and was educated at St Olave's Grammar School in Southwark, London. He won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge where he gained a first class degree...
(1967) - Sir Michael SwannMichael SwannMichael Meredith Swann, Baron Swann, FRS was a distinguished molecular and cell biologist working on the mechanisms of cell division and fertilisation. He used cell polarisation methods to understand the changes in molecular organisation of the mitotic spindle...
(1973) - George Howard, Baron Howard of HenderskelfeGeorge Howard, Baron Howard of HenderskelfeMajor George Anthony Geoffrey Howard, Baron Howard of Henderskelfe, JP was a British politician, soldier and media man....
(1980) - Stuart YoungStuart Young (1934-1986)Stuart Young was an English business executive and accountant.Stuart was the brother of a former UK cabinet minister David Young, Baron Young of Graffham. He succeeded George Howard as the chairman of the BBC board of governors in 1983 and remained in this role until his early death from cancer...
(1983) - Marmaduke Hussey, Baron Hussey of North BradleyMarmaduke Hussey, Baron Hussey of North BradleyMarmaduke James Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1986 to 1996, fulfilling two terms in that role....
(1986) - Sir Christopher BlandChristopher BlandSir Christopher Buchan Bland is a British businessman and politician. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1996 to 2001, when he took up a position as Chairman of British Telecommunications plc...
(1996) - Gavyn DaviesGavyn DaviesGavyn Davies, OBE was the chairman of the BBC from 2001 until 2004, a former Goldman Sachs banker and a former economic advisor to the British Government...
(October 2001 - January 28, 2004) - Lord Ryder (acting chairman) (January 28, 2004 - May 17, 2004)
- Michael GradeMichael GradeMichael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
(May 17, 2004 - November 28, 2006)
The last Board of Governors
The governors as of the board's dissolution on 31 December 2006 were:- Anthony SalzAnthony SalzAnthony Salz, a prominent solicitor, sat on the Board of Governors of the BBC and was Acting Chairman in 2006. Salz assumed the position on 1 August 2004 after the resignation of the former Vice Chairman, Lord Ryder...
(Acting Chairman) - Ranjit SondhiRanjit SondhiRanjit Sondhi was a BBC Governor with responsibility for the English regions. First appointed in August 1998, his term of office was renewed for another four years in 2002 and finished in October 2006....
(Governor for the English regions) - Fabian MondsFabian MondsFabian Monds, CBE is a BBC Governor with responsibility for Northern Ireland. Appointed in 1999, in June 2003 his term of office was extended to the end of July 2007....
(National Governor for Northern Ireland) - Merfyn JonesMerfyn JonesMerfyn Jones CBE is a historian, broadcaster, governor of the BBC and former vice-chancellor of Bangor University.He grew up and still lives in Gwynedd, Wales....
(National Governor for Wales) - Jeremy PeatJeremy PeatJeremy Peat is a member of the Competition Commission and the Director of the David Hume Institute. He is also chairman of the BBC Pension Trust. He is a former member of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation, where he was the Scottish Trustee.-Career:Peat...
(National Governor for Scotland) - Deborah BullDeborah BullDeborah Bull CBE is an English dancer, writer, and broadcaster and Creative Director of the Royal Opera House.Born in Derby, and brought up in Kent and Lincolnshire, she studied dance from the age of seven, first locally, and then, on the recommendation of her teacher, at the Royal Ballet School...
- Andrew Burns
- Dermot GleesonDermot Gleeson (BBC)Dermot Gleeson is non-executive chairman of MJ Gleeson Group plc. He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the BBC, where he served two terms, and subsequently one of the original members of the BBC Trust, the current governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
- Angela SarkisAngela SarkisAngela Sarkis CBE , is the Chief Executive of the Nurture Group Network, a charitable organisation which promotes and supports the development of specialist support for vulnerable children within mainstream education...
- Richard TaitRichard TaitProfessor Richard Tait CBE, is Director of the Centre for Journalism Studies at Cardiff University and a member of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation....
- Note: Michael GradeMichael GradeMichael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
had left the BBC before the dissolution of the board to take up the position of Executive Chairman at rival broadcaster ITV plc.