Bbc succession test: bbc contenders fall away as Matt Brittin and Charlotte Moore emerge
The is facing a bruising leadership contest after Tim Davie prepared to stand down amid a run of crises that have helped push several early favourites out of the running. The mix of editorial failures, commercial pressures and high-profile non-applications has left a narrowed field and major questions about the corporation’s immediate priorities.
Bafta controversy that accelerated attrition
Bafta, independent producers and the were all involved in a chain of events that led to the N-word appearing in televised coverage of the Bafta awards. The slur was shouted by Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson while actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. Several apologies were issued and an internal investigation was announced, and Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, issued a Wednesday night statement that concentrated on the broadcaster’s failings. That episode has been cited by insiders as one of the episodes that hastened the exit of potential candidates.
Tim Davie’s departure and the scale of the challenge
Davie prepared to stand down and is understood to be leaving earlier than planned after an accumulation of crises generated within a sprawling corporation and its tens of thousands of employees. Inside the organisation, horrified senior figures openly admitted to a major mistake. Davie’s departure came after a row over alleged bi — unclear in the provided context.
John Shield, the ’s former director of communications, said: “I struggle to think of a harder job in public life. ” He outlined the demands expected of the role: being a brilliant creative leader in an inflationary environment; exercising outstanding editorial judgment in a period of fractious politics; operating under constant public scrutiny; adapting to rapidly changing viewing habits; and securing a stronger, more sustainable funding model.
Front-runners: Matt Brittin and Charlotte Moore
Industry figures name Matt Brittin, Google’s former head of European operations, as the prime candidate to become director-general, replacing Tim Davie, who resigned over the misleading Panorama edit of a Donald Trump speech. He faces competition from Charlotte Moore, who led the ’s TV and radio output during two decades and developed shows including Happy Valley and Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet.
Charlotte Moore, until recently the ’s chief creative officer and now running Left Bank Pictures, was widely regarded as a potential successor but did not apply. The field has narrowed with Jay Hunt—the former One controller and Channel 4 chief creative officer who is now at Apple TV—declining to apply despite being sounded out, and Alex Mahon, who left Channel 4 last year to run the events company Superstruct, also no longer in the running.
’s immediate agenda: licence fee, lawsuit and cuts
The new director-general will be thrust into negotiations with the Government over a radical overhaul of the licence fee, with non-payment and evasion costing the £1bn last year. They must also consider whether to fight or seek to settle a $10bn lawsuit filed by the US President over the Panorama failure, which is set for trial in Florida next year.
Officials and insiders say the next leader must turbo-charge commercial income from selling shows, tackle claims of institutional bias in the news operation, win back viewers fleeing to deep-pocketed streaming platforms and find an accommodation with YouTube as it becomes the first-choice TV service in people’s homes. The next chief will also need to identify £600m in fresh cuts announced by Davie before his departure.
Questions about Matt Brittin’s fit and the board’s priorities
Some staffers are wary that Brittin, 57, a Cambridge-educated former Team GB rower at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, lacks programme-making experience. He left Google last year after 18 years, the last 10 as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A 2016 appearance before the Commons Public Accounts Committee, where Brittin said he could not remember his exact Google salary and defended the company’s UK tax arrangements, may be raised by the selection panel; committee chair Meg Hillier said Brittin “lived in a different world” to that of most MPs’ constituents.
Brittin is believed to have earned many multiples of the £550, 000 salary the director-general is paid and may have Google stock that would have to be placed into a trust if he were appointed. The Board, led by chairman Samir Shah, is said to be seeking a director-general with the “resilience” to withstand intense public scrutiny. Supporters point to Brittin’s experience dealing with regulators and politicians and his knowledge of digital platforms as assets in securing a new funding model.
Other approached figures and the ‘poisoned chalice’ sentiment
Several notable media figures were sounded out but opted not to apply. Jay Hunt was an early favourite but did not put her name forward, and Alex Mahon is also no longer in contention. Mark Thompson was approached about a possible return but is settled in the US and has already been knighted for his previous tenure. bosses had shown interest in Kevin Bakhurst, now director-general at Ireland’s RTÉ, but he declined to apply and is not expected to go for a new deputy director-general position that will be created to make the top job more manageable.
“It is a wonderful, beautiful, terrible poisoned chalice, ” said one prominent media figure, capturing the reluctance of several senior executives to take on a role now widely viewed as exceptionally demanding.
