A wicked month

My memory of Augusts at the BBC is hazy, but you never really expected to have much interference from the "suits", who would be, by and large, in Tuscany. It seems this year is different. Lord Hall and Lucy Adams will be meeting the unions over pay on August 13th - (we're only up to Prom 41 by then, for heaven's sake, out of 75). The unions have an "embargoed" ballot result in their back pocket, and will be looking, at the very least, for any severance payments handed back to be re-distributed amongst the lower grades.

The month progresses through the start of the Premier League on 17th August (will Match of the Day change format, in this, it's 49th season?) to the Edinburgh TV Festival on 22nd August.

There, cheeky Neil Midgely is producing a panel session entitled "Tony Hall's Big Decisions". Chaired by John Sergeant, it will feature former Newsnight reporter Liz MacKean, NUJ leader Michelle Stanistreet, and Tory MP (and member of the Culture Select Committee) Conor Burns. Presumably championing the Hall

view is BBC pensioner, presenter and Creative Director Alan Yentob. Good luck.