Consequences

With internal candidates for Director General likely to be at least four, lower ranks at the BBC are whiling away the hours playing consequences. An outsider would be no fun at all, but an insider could mean job opportunities down the line.

So, for example - if George Entwistle at Vision gets the big gig, who comes in behind ? Tim Davie, at radio, might fancy the experience, but maintaining his salary (current package £380k against George's miserly £285k) could be an issue. Meanwhile, Controller BBC1 Danny Cohen would expect that George, as DG, would swing his chair round once he starts singing for promotion......

If Caroline Thomson gets it, the shuffle is less fun. Chief Operating Officer is a recent invention, built up of "bogs and boilers", but the replacement will be more interesting if the post stays as Deputy Director General. Caroline might like someone more directly connected with content in that role.

If Helen Boaden gets it, there's more continuity - one presumes Caroline and George stay where they are, and Peter Horrocks steps up to run News.

At Broadcasting House, Bob Shennan is thought to be measuring the curtains/venetians should Tim Davie progress...

A sage former colleague notes that in BBC interviews, it's important to come out at least holding on to the job you went in with. The next hurdle will be to get past preliminaries - with Patten, Coyle and Loehnis. At least one outsider must make the final shortlist. Will the good Lord take all four insiders through - or will one or perhaps two fall at the first ?