To Broadcasting House, where BBC staff are still reeling from the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness in the wake of the Trump-Panorama debacle. While they worry about whether they’ll be sued by Donald Trump, there’s a familiar name doing the rounds as speculation begins about who might succeed Davie to the top job.
Several well-placed sources have told the Pygge that Nick Robinson is being widely discussed inside the Beeb as a prospect for the role. The Today presenter and former political editor delivered a punchy on-air rundown of how Davie’s resignation came about – helpfully tweeting it for anyone who might have missed it – and has been engaged in a public bust-up with Boris Johnson in defence of the broadcaster. Does he now fancy taking up that mantle permanently? Certainly some people in the building think so…
First, however, the BBC board will have to decide whether it wants to appoint a journalist to the director general post. Tim Davie, a former marketing man for Pepsi, had the requisite experience of running a large organisation but no editorial experience. If they do want to go down that road again, names in the frame include Jay Hunt, chair of the British Film Institute, Alex Mahon, CEO of Channel 4, and Carolyn McCall, CEO of ITV.
James Harding, now of the Observer, and Bloomberg’s Stephanie Flanders, formerly BBC economics editor, have also been mentioned to the Pygge, although our source speculates that Flanders would like to be tapped for the job rather than applying for it. The Wall Street Journal’s Emma Tucker and the Guardian’s Kath Viner would also be impressive contenders.
And what of Amol Rajan, who famously loves collecting job titles? Or George Osborne, by the same logic?
Don’t expect a quick answer in any case. As one BBC insider says: “I think they don’t have a clue. The succession plan will have involved Deborah.”
[Further reading: The BBC is worth fighting for]
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