Knotted

The dying embers of the Edinburgh TV Festival saw Alan Yentob leading a session on creativity - but, inevitably, it was hi-jacked by talk of "an officer class" at the BBC, who gave each other golden farewells.

"I have never considered myself in that class, I don't know how to tie a tie", said our favourite bundle of contradictions. He has a loving wife, or tolerant PAs, or both.

He went on: "A lot of people had to leave, people who had spent a lifetime at the BBC, and it had to be done very quickly and that's why Mark [Thompson, former BBC director general] decided that should happen and others did it."

Others did it ? Can this be the same man who told The Independent in November last year "I think I have been rather more involved in running the BBC than people imagine" ?