Striking Gold

This is a time for some nifty strategic recruitment at the BBC, and frankly, whatever Gold Committee is driving it is already a little tarnished. 

Most people think the BBC is looking for a balanced trio at the top; a charismatic, confident and reassuring figure as DG; a wise head as Deputy DG; and a sure hand as Director of News (let's stop all this CEO nonsense now).  Ideally, they come as a package; in reality, that's really hard to achieve, especially when you've little idea as to which player in this trio might arrive first. And by any rational assessment, all three are likely to come from outside the current BBC leadership team. 

But there is precedent in fixing ahead; when the BBC appointed Michael Checkland, an ambitious accountant, as DG, the Governors insisted on the appointment of John Birt, as Deputy DG, to fill the function of editor-in-chief.

Let's try to guess the Gold Committee. Samir Shah, the Chairman who havered over the Panorama edit; Tim Davie, the man who brought in Deborah Turness; Lisa Nandy, probably checking in daily, the woman who wanted Tim Davie to consider his position much earlier this year; Caroline Thomson, the new Senior Independent Director, who missed out as DG to George Entwistle, and had troubles of her own at Oxfam. Have they got the contacts and creative thinking to sort this out ?