BBC Appoints Tony Hall As New Director-General

The BBC has named Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead, as its new director-general.

Lord Hall started a 28-year career at the BBC as a trainee and was head of news and current affairs at the corporation from 1996 to 2001.

He replaces George Entwistle, who was forced to resign from the position, after just 54 days in the job, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile and Lord McAlpine scandals.

Announcing the appointment, Lord Patten, the chairman of the BBC Trust, said his background in news "will prove invaluable as the BBC looks to rebuild both its reputation in this area and the trust of audiences".

Lord Hall is currently the chief executive of the Royal Opera House and is expected to take up the role of director-general in early March. Until then Tim Davie will continue in his role as acting director-general.

The appointment of Lord Hall to the £450,000-a-year post was made after a direct approach from the BBC Trust. In a statement released to announce his appointment the BBC said it did not approach any other candidates.

Lord Hall said: "This organisation is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is. And of course it matters not just to people in this country – but to tens of millions around the world too.

"It's been a difficult few weeks – but together we'll get through it."

He was a candidate for the role of director-general in 1999 but did not apply for the job upon the departure of Mark Thompson from the role.

Lord Patten said: "Tony Hall has been an insider and is a currently an outsider. As an ex-BBC man he understands how the Corporation's culture and behaviour make it, at its best, the greatest broadcaster in the world.

"And from his vantage point outside the BBC, he understands the sometimes justified criticisms of the Corporation – that it can be inward looking and on occasions too institutional."

Lord Hall, who became a cross bencher in the House of Lords in 2010, has been successful at the helm of the Royal Opera House and praised for initiatives such as the relay of performances to screens across the UK.

He sits on a number of boards but will be stepping down from those roles before taking up his position at the corporation.

Ian Woods, senior news correspondent for Sky News, said: "He is untainted by the problems over the last few months at the BBC. He hasn't been at the corporation for a decade but he knows exactly the problems that need to be addressed there.

"He has experience in BBC journalism and it is the BBC's journalism which has been the problem for the corporation over the last few weeks."

The announcement followed the revelation by the BBC trustee Anthony Fry that Mr Entwistle refused to leave the post of director-general without a £450,000 pay-out. This was twice as much as he was entitled to under the terms of his contract.

Mr Fry told the Public Accounts Committee that the BBC Trust was given the choice of accepting Mr Entwistle's terms, or facing a lengthy legal battle which could result in Mr Entwistle receiving an additional £80,000.

He said: "I was looking at two positions. I accepted the director-general's resignation at £450,000... or we took the view of summoning the full trust and firing the director-general for a cost of £450,000.

"The legal advice from Baker & McKenzie was that we had no grounds in legal terms for firing the director-general without compensation."

Mr Entwistle also got a pension worth £40,000 a year, thousands to deal with legal issues arising from the Jimmy Savile investigations and £10,000 for professional communications advise to deal with the fall out.

MPs were also incensed to learn that he will continue to have his private medical bills paid for over the next year.

In a letter to BBC staff to announce the appointment of Lord Hall, Lord Patten wrote that it was a significant day for the BBC.

But he wrote: "There are still very serious questions to be answered through the two on-going independent inquiries into the Newsnight investigation that was dropped and the culture and practices of the BBC during the years Jimmy Savile worked here, as well as a review into sexual harassment.

"But it is also marks the beginning of a new phase for the BBC. And the key challenge will be re-establishing our reputation with the public. I hope you will all support Tony Hall as he goes about the important work of doing just that."

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