The Yentob Diaries

The BBC has published extracts from Alan Yentob's appointments diary, in response to a Freedom of Information Act enquiry. I've been reading them so you don't have to.

We start in October 2012 - George Entwistle is DG, so Alan is relegated to the regular "Wider Management Group Conference Calls" as his connection to the top.  On October 8 Alan and X are Tony Hall's guests at the opening of the Royal Opera House 2012/3 season.

The day of George's resignation - 10th November - is spookily blank. Was Alan across it ? The day before there is an enigmatic "Call HBO", an American network to which Alan is an occasional contributor. The next week, there's the first of series of catch-up meetings with Roger Mosey - though none noted with acting DG Tim Davie. On November 22 Tony Hall is announced as the next DG; Alan has three and half hours set aside for a meeting with Tony Hall the following week.  In the first week of December, Tim Davie, Tony Hall and Alan get an hour together.

The New Year, at least as far as pages released goes, starts on January 14 - and there's another hour with Tone.  By February, there's a new group forming - Alan, Tim Davie, Lucy Adams, Tony Hall, Jessica Cecil, one Greg Nugent, (former Olympics PR who was just starting a new boutique operation with Godric Smith) and James Purnell - who was to be unveiled as a Hall signing to the public the next day. Allan also gets an hour with BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten.

Tony Hall formally arrives in post 2nd April, and that afternoon there's a planning meeting, with Godric and Julian Payne. (S/N stands for "Secretary's Note", whited out)

Alan's diary soon becomes peppered with Senior Management Team meetings and a Daily Editorial conference call at 0920. There are routines with Danny Cohen, Bob Shennan and William Gresswell (Controller of Strategy for Television) - two days set aside for Glasto, and we progress nicely to the First Night of the Proms with Tony Hall.

All the way through there are meetings about "The Space", the BBC's online venture in partnership with Arts Council England; regular sessions with Tanya (one presumes the Imagine producer, Tanya Hudson), and a whole series of appointments to sort out Alan's office at Broadcasting House.

Some names you might expect are there - Amanda Nevill of the BFI, literary agent Ed Victor, ex BBC chum Jana Bennett, architect Zaha Hadid - others we can only guess at; Annie T, Luke, Richard, Geoff, 'MJ arrives from NYC'. There's rather too much time spent on an article about David Bowie for the Daily Mail.

And each week sees two or three first night/reception opportunities. As you'd expect for a man at the heart of arts and culture, not just in the UK, but around the world.