Baronies

First Director North for the BBC was Peter Salmon, appointed eleven years ago. (Did he ever live there ?  Answer, yes, but only when he was with Granada.)   Three years ago the honour was transferred to Alice Webb.

Was the job titular or strategic ? Honorific or serious ? Had Towers Perrin been involved ?  Twelve months ago, Helen Thomas was appointed Director of England.  Now Ken MacQuarrie, the Director of Nations and Regions, has reviewed the situation with his Cabinet of advisors, and, apparently 'cos Helen's going to be based in MediaCityUK, she can cover the onerous responsibilities...

“Last year, Helen Thomas was appointed as Director, BBC England. Helen represents teams and audiences across England, supported by her new leadership team, who will be based at sites across the country.

“With Helen based in the North, now feels like the right time to bring the leadership of North and England together. Helen will now oversee the North, along with her duties as Director, England.

“Alice Webb has fulfilled the role of Director, North alongside her day-job as Director, BBC Children’s for the past three years. I would like to thank Alice for the tremendous contribution she has made to the BBC’s continued creative development in the North."

Next, BBC Lord Lieutenant of The North....