Sifting

With all the candidates safely gathered in, BBC DG Lord Hall will have had a fun weekend making a shortlist to replace James Harding. He may have had a hand from Ian Hargreaves, non-executive, who preceded Tony Hall as Director of News and Current Affairs back in the last century.

I'm not sure who will join them on the interview panel - there'll have to be a woman. And if it's Anne Bulford, the money issue will be bound to come up. The range of internal candidates, whilst solid, is not stellar; save Jonathan Munro, few have had experience outside the BBC. But they'll all know more about where to make savings - racking up to £80m a year over the next three years - than any outsider.

Meanwhile Mr Harding is still turning up at W1A, despite promising to set up some form of journalistic competition to Auntie in the New Year - that can't be right.