Diana fallout: 1995 BBC head quits his gallery job

Princess Diana (AP, file photo)

LONDON: Tony Hall, who was director of BBC news and current affairs at the time of the public broadcaster’s explosive 1995 interview with Princess Diana, resigned on Saturday as board chairman of Britain’s National Gallery.
Hall, who subsequently rose to the top job at the BBC, was heavily criticised in a report this week for a botched inquiry into how journalist Martin Bashir obtained the blockbuster interview. In a statement, Hall said his continued presence at the gallery would be a “distraction to an institution I care deeply about”. “I am very sorry for the events of 25 years ago and I believe leadership means taking responsibility,” Hall said. The 126-page report by retired Judge John Dyson, published on Thursday, found the internal BBC probe had covered up “deceitful behaviour” by Bashir when he interviewed Diana.