Poisoned chalice? The BBC’s struggles to find a successor to Tim Davie

Poisoned chalice? The BBC’s struggles to find a successor to Tim Davie As the director general prepares to stand down, potential candidates have fallen away amid a series of crises T here is an impressive shortlist circulating in Britain’s media circles, comprising some of the most talented executives in the business. Unfortunately for the BBC , it contains the names of figures no longer in the running to become its next director general. Those closely observing the corporation’s search for a successor to Tim Davie have been quick to note how the events of the past week help explain the alarming attrition rate. Bafta, independent producers and the BBC were all involved in the calamitous chain of events that resulted in the inclusion of the N-word in televised coverage of the Bafta awards. The slur was shouted out by the Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson while the actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. Inevitably, it was Davie who – perhaps for the last time – suffered the ire of Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary. Her Wednesday night statement, which came after several BBC apologies and the announcement of an internal investigation, focused solely on the broadcaster’s failings. Inside the BBC, horrified senior figures openly admitted to a major mistake. Yet it is the accumulation of similar crises, generated within a sprawling corporation and its tens of thousands of employees, that has ensured Davie is leaving the job earlier than planned. “I struggle to think of a harder job in public life,” said John Shield, the BBC’s former director of communications. “You’re expected to be a brilliant creative leader in an inflationary environment. You’ve got to exercise outstanding editorial judgment in a period of fractious politics and operate under constant public scrutiny. At the same time, you’re adapting to rapidly changing viewing habits and trying to secure a stronger, more sustainable funding model. So apart from all that, it is a pretty strai...