Raring to go

Matt Brittin is already getting plenty of advice on what to do with the 3-D chess pieces of the existing BBC management structure, ahead of his formal arrival at Broadcasting House. Indulging in a Premier League analogy, does he come from Google like Nuno Espirito Santo, demanding jobs for at least five others on his coaching team, or does he travel light, like Jose Mourinho ?

The BBC conversations will have started a long time ago, and Brittin clearly made good use of the BAFTA coffee area and members' bar before shaping his presentation for the big interview.  A relieved Samir Shah and Caroline Thomson will have already debriefed him on the bits they did and didn't like.

There is little doubt that he should appoint a Deputy Director General, as a lightning conductor to absorb the thunderbolts of error and omission of news and programme-making before they end up as existential challenges to his own tenure. He also has a vacancy at the top of News.  At least one of these should go to a woman.

He might take time to consider the general state of 'transformation' much bruited at BH, where expensive consultants and deep HR thinkers have recently brought those working in broadcasting software and hardware back together again, to save money.  He will certainly want to build a better top table. 

There's a clear impression he wants to get going, and Interim DG Rhodri Talfan Davies may be left to one side, to shepherd the Annual Report to publication, while Matt gets his teeth into the good stuff....