The former Director General of the BBC Greg Dyke has told Andrew Marr that today’s announcement by the BBC, that Gary Lineker will return to hosting Match of the Day, is a ‘5-0 win’ for the sports presenter.
Speaking on Tonight with Andrew Marr on LBC, Mr Dyke told Marr that he was not convinced that BBC Chairman Richard Sharp needed to resign, however he did say that the BBC Chairman and Governors ‘shouldn’t be appointed by the government of the day.’
Commenting on the news that Gary Lineker will continue to host Match of the Day, the former BBC boss told Marr:
‘Firstly, I think I’d say today’s announcement is like a 5-0 win for Gary Lineker, really. Or maybe 5-1. But I mean, as I understand it, this was the very solution that was offered to the BBC on Friday and they turned it down, now they’ve accepted it…I think the public at large saw it as ridiculous. The idea that because a sports presenter has said something about politics, that’s not on the BBC and not on the programme he presents, he cannot present the programme, I think people saw it as ridiculous. And I think it was.’
When asked if he believes if the BBC Chairman Richard Sharp should resign, Mr Dyke said:
‘I’m not sure I do think he should go. I suspect over the weekend he rang up the Director General and said, get us out of this. What is this? Because suddenly it has turned back on to the Richard Sharp story. I personally, think, I hope there’s an opportunity in this inquiry to look at the whole way that the Chairman and the governors get appointed at the BBC. Because I think we’re now in a world where they shouldn’t be appointed by the government of the day.’
Speaking about the public’s perception of the BBC’s actions in the last week, he told Marr:
‘I think by in large if you’re an ex-Director General your job is to walk away. But in this case, I think the perception out there, the perception amongst the public is exactly what you said. That it looks like the government has bullied the BBC into taking this decision. Now, whether that’s true or not I have no idea. But if that’s the perception, it’s very bad news for the BBC.’
Sharing his message to the current Director General Tim Davie, Dyke said:
‘I’d say well done for acting quickly today. And getting it over with and finishing it. Your board needs to look again at the rules it’s introduced for anyone connected with the BBC… I think they’ve been absolutely taken aback by the reaction of all the sports presenters, many of whom I suspect don’t support Gary Lineker’s views, but they think he’s got the right to say them. And I think that’s the discussion now that needs to go on. And I think it does mean for some of the sort of rather right-wing Tories now on the board of the BBC, it’s time they discovered that it’s a tougher job than they thought.’
LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr. Follow the conversation on @lbc & @andrewmarr9
