Form book 9

It's 12 days since Lord Patten officially started looking for runners and riders in the 2012 DG Stakes (readers of this blog will know things started much earlier than that) - so let's review where we are.

No big changes in the betting at the bookmakers - the shortest odds are still on three insiders, Caroline Thomson, George Entwistle and Helen Boaden.

The conference call I'd like to hack is the daily executive board catch-up. Over the past week it seems there's been an crusty edge to some of the exchanges. They've had to discuss criticism of the use of women on panel and entertainment shows on BBC TV (prop George Entwistle) in a report from the Creative Diversity Network (prop Mark Thompson, sponsor Helen Boaden); and continuing charges of misogyny at Today (joint props Helen Boaden and Tim Davie) in a campaign started in the Guardian by Kira Cochrane and lept on by Tory MPs Nadine Dorries and Louise Mensch.   The candidate with no direct output responsibility (except when Mark Thompson is on a blue run in Davos) is Caroline Thomson.

On the Media Show on Radio 4, former DG Greg Dyke suggested Lord Patten should clamp-down on any signs of in-fighting amongst internal candidates - he believed when he got the job, the insiders each used their own press teams as campaign units, briefing against rivals.  Greg's answer - if there are no-hopers, Lord Patten should let them know now.

• If this sort of stuff floats your boat, remember there's plenty more at The BBC 2012 DG Stakes.