Mangold surfaces

"I do not pretend to have proof". Thus Tom Mangold (86, Dorking County Grammar and National Service) in The Times this morning. 

Then he fingers a range of people for covering up Martin Bashir's activity in securing the 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana. Principally, the late Steve Hewlett, the programme's Editor at the time. The programme was broadcast in November: Mangold says "The bomb hit the BBC three months later. On Sunday, April 7, the horrendous truth was published in The Mail On Sunday. I know who leaked, and why, but I’m keeping counsel on that. "

Mr Mangold implies that the BBC Press Office bought the cover-up, unwittingly, and briefed against malcontents at Panorama for leaking. The outcome for Tom, in the end, was being fired by the next boss of Panorama, Mike Robinson. Mike had been Bashir's producer on the Diana interview.  

On the internal investigation, he says Bashir "was given what must have been the cosiest formal interview of his life by [Tony] Hall and [Anne] Sloman. I know both of them well, and, with the best will and utmost respect, Bashir would have metaphorically had their trousers off before sitting down."

Updated 0900 19/11/2020 - I initially got the sequence of Panorama editors wrong.