Doctor, the BBC is acting up

So we're now paying for a Director of News, Helen Boaden (stepped aside - maybe we should assume the verb is being used in a sort of passive/transitive sense) and an Acting Director of News, Fran Unsworth; a Deputy Director of News, Stephen Mitchell, and an Acting Deputy Director of News, Ceri Thomas; an Editor of Newsnight, Peter Rippon, and an Acting Editor of Newsnight, Karen O'Connor. Ceri was identified earlier as "prisoner's friend" to Peter Rippon, so there may be an acting role vacant there.

Presumably we'll hear about an Acting Editor of Today, later today, and an Acting Head of Newsgathering, plus an Acting Head of London Factual. One man presumed to stop acting is Jonathan Wall, with reports that Adrian Van Klaveren, Acting Safe Pair of Hands, being sent back to look after Radio Five Live. The Mail suggests that Director of BBC Northern Ireland Peter Johnston may have been involved in signing off the Messham story on Newsnight; Tim Davie may not yet have finished his work on the Ken MacQuarrie (Director BBC Scotland) report on the matter. We await news on the previous Acting Editor of Newsnight, Liz Gibbons, and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Just to remind you of the full cast of actors, we have Roger Mosey, acting as Director of Vision, and Graham Ellis, acting as Director of Audio & Music.

Salaries are going to George Entwistle, and acting DG Tim Davie. Has anyone checked that we're not still paying Mark Thompson to take part in inquiries, as he starts his first day at the New York Times ?

And here's an addendum to the initial announcements of today's dance steps, which suggests the lawyers for Boaden and Mitchell are earning their fees - and making T Davie look a little premature...

The BBC wants to make it absolutely clear that neither Helen Boaden nor Stephen Mitchell had anything at all to do with the failed Newsnight investigation into Lord McAlpine. Whilst recognising this, the BBC also believes there is a lack of clarity in the lines of command and control in BBC News as a result of some of those caught up in the Pollard Review being unable to exercise their normal authority. In the circumstances Helen and Stephen will be stepping aside from their normal roles until the Pollard Review reports and they expect to then return to their positions.