The Board of Governors of the BBC is a group of twelve people who together regulate the BBC and represent the interests of the public, in particular those of viewers and listeners. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was formed in 1927 by means of a royal charter. ...

The governors are independent of the Director-General and the rest of the BBC's Executive Team. They have no direct say in programme-making, but are nevertheless accountable to Parliament (and the public) for the BBC's actions. Although a 'state broadcaster', the BBC is theoretically protected from government interference due to the statutory role of the governors. The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC. The position is appointed by Board of Governors of the BBC. Sir John Reith (1927-1938) Sir Frederick Ogilvie (1938-1942) Sir Cecil Graves and Robert W. Foot (joint Director-Generals, 1942-1943) Robert W. Foot (1942... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ...

Governors appoint the Director-General and other key BBC staff. They approve strategy and policy, set objectives, handle complaints, and produce Annual Reports that document the BBC's performance and compliance each year.

The role of chairman of the Board of Governors is one of the most important positions in British media.

Appointments

Governors are usually appointed from senior positions in various walks of British society. Each appointment is a part-time position and lasts for four (formerly five) years. Four governors have specific responsibilities: for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions. Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English(100%), Welsh(20. ... Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity...

Governors are nominally appointed by the monarch on the advice of ministers. In practice, governors are chosen by the government of the day. This has led to claims of political interference, in particular during the years of Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Most recently, the government of Tony Blair appointed Michael Grade as chairman of the Board of Governors on the recommendation of an independent selection committee. The monarch or Sovereign is the head of state of the United Kingdom. ... The Right Honourable Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925), born Margaret Hilda Roberts, is a British stateswoman and was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the only woman as of 2005 to serve in that position. ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Michael Grade CBE (born March 8, 1943) is a British businessman and a distinctive figure in the field of broadcasting. ...

Controversy

The government of Margaret Thatcher appointed a succession of governors with the apparent intent of bringing the BBC "into line" with government policy. Marmaduke Hussey was appointed chairman of the Board of Governors apparently with the specific agenda of bringing down the then-Director-General Alasdair Milne; this government also broke the tradition of always having a trade union leader on the Board of Governors. Alasdair David Gordon Milne (born 1930) was Director-General of the BBC from July 1982 until a forced resignation, under intense pressure from the Conservative government and a Board of BBC Governors dominated by Conservatives, in January 1987. ...

It has also been suggested that Harold Wilson's appointment of the former Tory minister Lord Hill as chairman of the Board of Governors in 1967 was motivated by a desire to undermine the radical, questioning agenda of Director-General Sir Hugh Greene - ironically Wilson had attacked the appointment of Hill as Chairman of the Independent Television Authority by a Tory government in 1963. This article is about the British politician. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hugh Carleton Greene was Director-General of the BBC from 1960 to 1969, and is generally credited with modernising an organisation that had fallen behind in the wake of the launch of ITV in 1955. ... The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of Independent Television (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In January 2004 Gavyn Davies, who had been appointed chairman of the Board of Governors by the Labour government in 2001, resigned in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry. Subsequently, the acting chairman was Lord Ryder, previously a Conservative MP and a member of Margaret Thatcher's personal staff. It has been claimed that Ryder and other Conservatives on the Board of Governors were effectively responsible for "forcing out" Director-General Greg Dyke, who had not initially believed that his offer of resignation would be accepted by the Governors. In May of 2004, Michael Grade took over as permanent chairman. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gavyn Davies Gavyn Davies (born 27 November 1950) was the chairman of the BBC from 2001 until 2004, a former Goldman Sachs banker and a former economic advisor to the British Government. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lord Hutton led the inquiry that concluded that Dr. David Kelly had taken his own life. ... Richard Andrew Ryder, Baron Ryder of Wensum, PC (born 4 February 1949), is a Conservative member of the House of Lords. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Greg Dyke Greg Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a journalist and broadcaster. ... Michael Grade CBE (born March 8, 1943) is a British businessman and a distinctive figure in the field of broadcasting. ...

Chairmen of the Board of Governors

• Joseph Albert Pease, 1st Baron Gainford (chairman of the British Broadcasting Company, before incorporation) (1922)
• George Herbert Hyde Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon (first chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation) (1927)
• John Henry Whitley (1930)
• William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman (1935)
• Ronald Collet Norman (1935)
• Sir Allan Powell (1940)
• Philip Albert Inman, 1st Baron Inman (1947)
• Ernest Darwin Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe (1947)
• Sir Alexander Cadogan (1952)
• Sir Arthur fforde (1957)
• Sir James Duff (1964)
• Norman Craven Brook, 1st Baron Normanbrook (1964)
• Lord Hill of Luton (1967)
• Sir Michael Swann (1973)
• George Howard, Lord Howard of Henderskelfe (1980)
• Stuart Young (1983)
• Marmaduke Hussey (1986)
• Sir Christopher Bland (1996)
• Gavyn Davies (October 2001 - January 28, 2004)
• Lord Ryder (acting chairman) (January 28, 2004 - May 17, 2004)
• Michael Grade (May 17, 2004 - )

1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... George Herbert Hyde Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon (1877-1955) was the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 1931 to 1937. ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman (31 December 1864 - 14 August 1935) was a British Conservative politician. ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sir Alexander Cadogan (1884-1968) was a graduate of Eton College. ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Gavyn Davies Gavyn Davies (born 27 November 1950) was the chairman of the BBC from 2001 until 2004, a former Goldman Sachs banker and a former economic advisor to the British Government. ... October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Andrew Ryder, Baron Ryder of Wensum, PC (born 4 February 1949), is a Conservative member of the House of Lords. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Grade CBE (born March 8, 1943) is a British businessman and a distinctive figure in the field of broadcasting. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The current Board of Governors
• BBC Annual Reports