The BBC is to spend the coming weeks delivering a review into complaints against disgraced former DJ Tim Westwood and setting out the principles that it believes should apply to a future funding model.
During today’s Annual Report press briefing, DG Tim Davie revealed two pieces of work are to be expected over the summer. The first, due within a fortnight, will “summarize exactly how we got to where we got” on Westwood, who was recently accused by seven Black women of sexual misconduct, allegations that he denies in their entirety.
Davie has faced tricky questions on the subject after he used an April speech to say the BBC had “seen no evidence of complaints” against Westwood before, several weeks later, the BBC revealed it had in fact received six, including one historic case that was referred to the police. The BBC is not saying whether the other five complaints were received before or after Davie’s April comments.
Speaking today, Davie said “we are going through a full deep dive” of historic complaints, after the “initial round of analysis” failed to find any.
“We have no objective apart from to ensure everything is flushed out and we want to understand exactly what happened with regards the BBC and any other cases being looked at,” he added, saying full transparency will come in the next fortnight.
Also expected in the coming week is the BBC’s principles for a future funding model.
Davie hinted at what some of these principles might be, stating that they will involve “independence for the BBC,” “offering value to the licence fee payer” and “ensuring that there is benefit for the UK’s creative industries.”
A review into potentially scrapping the licence fee in 2027 was due over the next two weeks but will very likely be delayed following the resignation of Boris Johnson, and some have raised hopes that it could be dropped full stop.
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