Succession

Maggie Brown, at The Guardian, ruminates on the Mark Thompson succession, and bemoans a lack of talent at the BBC's disposal. She notes the moves to indies by Lorraine Heggessey, Nigel Pickard, Steve Morrison, Stephen Lambert and Eileen Gallagher. She notes the existence of Peter Fincham, and mentions Jay Hunt.

History suggests she's missing a trick here. Since the 1960s most DGs have journalism in their c.vs.

Hugh Greene - Daily Telegraph, World Service, Director of News and Current Affairs...
Charles Curran - BBC Talks, Canadian Fishing News, Director of External Broadcasting
Ian Trethowan - ITN, Panorama presenter, MD of BBC Network Radio
Alasdair Milne - General trainee, Tonight, The Great War, Controller BBC Scotland
Michael Checkland - odd one out - accountant
John Birt - Nice Time, World In Action, Frost-Nixon, The bias against understanding...
Greg Dyke - Wandsworth Council PR, TV-AM, LWT
Mark Thompson - Isis, Watchdog, Nine O'Clock News, Panorama, Channel 4.


So the landscape might widen. Helen Boaden, Director of News and now also English Regions. Peter Horrocks, Director of the World Service. Peter Salmon, Director of BBC North. Jay Hunt, formerly of Newsnight, 6 O'Clock News. Roger Mosey, Head of TV News, Director of Sport, and now Olympic head honcho.

And Tony Hall, former Director of News, beaten by Dyke to the DG role, and now at The Royal Opera House, might fancy a spell, as he heads to his sixties.