HC 1099 Responsibilities of the Director General of the BBC

Correspondence from Chair of the Committee to Helen Boaden, Director of News, BBC

The BBC's response to the Jimmy Savile case

I am writing in connection with this Committee's inquiry into the BBC's response to the Jimmy Savile case and the Pollard Review.

As you will be aware, a question has arisen over when Mark Thompson first became aware that the Newsnight investigation into Savile involved allegations of sexual abuse. On 14 March 2013, in response to Rob Wilson MP, Nick Pollard confirmed that he had received a letter from your lawyers which stated you had told Mr Thompson about the nature of the Savile allegations just before Christmas 2011 during a phone conversation with him.

However, Mr Thompson told this Committee in January 2013 that he had only learned of the allegations of sexual abuse after he had stepped down as Director-General. Specifically Mr Thompson recalled that in December 2011 neither Caroline Hawley nor the leadership of BBC News (with whom he had raised the Newsnight investigation) told him what the affair was about.

Given this apparent discrepancy, the Committee would be grateful if you could clarify what you told Mr Thompson in December 2011 about the nature of the investigation and your recollection of his response. Please outline any further conversations you may have had with him about the nature of the Savile allegations whilst he was Director-General.

As we are taking evidence from Lord Hall and Lord Pattern on 23 April on the BBC, it would be helpful to have your response by 22 April.

26 March 2013