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The BBC's Response to the Jimmy Savile Case

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The BBC's Response to the Jimmy Savile Case House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee The BBC’s response to the Jimmy Savile case Oral and written evidence 23 October 2012 George Entwistle, Director-General, and David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, BBC 27 November 2012 Lord Patten, Chairman, BBC Trust, and Tim Davie, Acting Director-General, BBC Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 23 October and 27 November 2012 HC 649-i and -ii Published on 26 February 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £10.50 The Culture, Media and Sport Committee The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its associated public bodies. Current membership Mr John Whittingdale MP (Conservative, Maldon) (Chair) Mr Ben Bradshaw MP (Labour, Exeter) Angie Bray MP (Conservative, Ealing Central and Acton) Conor Burns MP (Conservative, Bournemouth West) Tracey Crouch MP (Conservative, Chatham and Aylesford) Philip Davies MP (Conservative, Shipley) Paul Farrelly MP (Labour, Newcastle-under-Lyme) Mr John Leech MP (Liberal Democrat, Manchester, Withington) Steve Rotheram MP (Labour, Liverpool, Walton) Jim Sheridan MP (Labour, Paisley and Renfrewshire North) Mr Gerry Sutcliffe MP (Labour, Bradford South) The following members were also members of the committee during the parliament. David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde) Dr Thérèse Coffey MP (Conservative, Suffolk Coastal) Damian Collins MP (Conservative, Folkestone and Hythe) Alan Keen MP (Labour Co-operative, Feltham and Heston) Louise Mensch MP (Conservative, Corby) Mr Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay) Mr Tom Watson MP (Labour, West Bromwich East) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/cmscom. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Elizabeth Flood (Clerk), Grahame Danby (Second Clerk), Kevin Candy (Inquiry Manager), Victoria Butt (Senior Committee Assistant), Keely Bishop (Committee Assistant) and Jessica Bridges-Palmer (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6188; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] List of witnesses Tuesday 23 October 2012 Page George Entwistle, Director-General, and David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, BBC Ev 1 Tuesday 27 November 2012 Lord Patten, Chairman, BBC Trust, and Tim Davie, Acting Director-General, BBC Ev 24 List of written evidence 1 Correspondence from the BBC Trust to the Chair of the Committee Ev 47: 49 2 Correspondence from David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, BBC Ev 48 3 BBC Ev 48: 50 4 Correspondence from the Chair of the Committee to Mark Thompson Ev 49 5 Correspondence from Mark Thompson to the Chair of the Committee Ev 50 cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [SO] Processed: [25-02-2013 15:20] Job: 024971 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/024971/024971_o001_th_121023 BBC JS corrected.xml Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday 23 October 2012 Members present: Mr John Whittingdale (Chair) Mr Ben Bradshaw Paul Farrelly Dr Thérèse Coffey Steve Rotheram Damian Collins Mr Adrian Sanders Philip Davies ________________ Examination of Witnesses Witnesses: George Entwistle, Director-General, BBC, and David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, BBC, gave evidence. Q1 Chair: Good morning, everybody. This is a authorities. The first thing we did was that I personally special session of the Culture, Media and Sport Select made contact with the police, when the scale and Committee to look specifically at the recent credibility of the allegations had started to become revelations about the abuse committed by Jimmy clear, and said to them, “This looks like it has the Savile during the time when he was employed by the potential to become a criminal matter.” I have BBC, and also the handling of those revelations by the significant anxiety about action by the BBC in any BBC. I would like to welcome the Director-General, way compromising, or in some way damaging, George Entwistle, and the Head of Editorial Policy, potential criminal investigations; that is the first thing David Jordan. I am sorry that the first appearance I am determined to avoid. Those conversations with before this Committee by the Director-General should the police were characterised initially by them saying be in these circumstances, but I would also like to to me, “Please do not rush into setting up your own express the thanks of the Committee for your offering internal review or inquiry of any kind, because we are to come before us this morning to address what, I am also worried that you may trespass on our position”. sure you will agree, are very serious concerns. So we spent that first week absolutely making sure If I may start off, last night on Panorama, you will that our liaison with the police was as good as it could have seen John Simpson, that very experienced and possibly be, and putting our investigations unit and all respected member of BBC staff, describe this as “the our internal resources at the service of the police in worst crisis that I can remember in my nearly 50 years such a way that they could get to work as fast as at the BBC”. Would you accept that that is the case? possible, and that we would be in a position to help George Entwistle: There is no question in my mind them. that what we now know happened is a very, very On the Monday of the following week, I went on the grave matter indeed. For somebody to have worked Today programme and announced that, when the for the BBC and at the BBC over a number of decades police were ready, we wanted to have our own internal and have been responsible for what the police describe review. Perhaps I could have made it clearer the as “an unprecedented scale” of child sexual previous week that I was prepared to do that, once the exploitation—there is no question in my mind but that police were ready for me to do it, but the key thing this is a very grave matter indeed, and I would seek for me was to absolutely make sure that I did not do to show that the response the BBC has made anything that trespassed on the authority and recognises that gravity. prerogative of the police at that point. Q2 Chair: I think we would all accept that, but you Q3 Chair: We will want to come on to look at the will also be aware of the concern about the handling co-operation between the BBC and the police in due of this matter by the BBC. It raises very serious course, but in terms of the communication and the questions about potential suppression to avoid handling of this, I am sure you would accept that the embarrassment, and obviously about some of the BBC’s reputation for trust and integrity is one of its allegations broadcast last night on Panorama. Would most precious assets. Do you not accept that that is in you accept that this has not been handled well by the jeopardy as a result of some of the suggestions that BBC in the last few weeks? have been made in the last few weeks? George Entwistle: No, I would not accept that. I George Entwistle: There is no question but that what would accept that there have been times when we Jimmy Savile did, and the way the BBC behaved in have taken longer to do things than I would have liked those years—that the culture and practices of the BBC in a perfect world, but if you look at what we have seemed to allow Jimmy Savile to do what he did— achieved since the scale of the crisis became clear, I will raise questions of trust and reputation for us. think you would see that we have done much of what There is no question about that. This is a gravely we should have done, and have done it in the right serious matter, and one cannot look back at it with order and with proper respect paid to the right anything other than horror, frankly, that his activities cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [E] Processed: [25-02-2013 15:20] Job: 024971 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/024971/024971_o001_th_121023 BBC JS corrected.xml Ev 2 Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Evidence 23 October 2012 George Entwistle and David Jordan went on as long as they did undetected. Of course, Chair: We are going to come back to each of these that is a matter of grave regret to me, and something issues in more detail, but I want to start off by that the BBC and I need to demonstrate an absolute returning to the original main concern that you rightly determination, here and now, to do everything we can focused on, which is what happened during the time to put right. There is no doubt about that at all in my that Jimmy Savile was employed by the BBC. mind, and I am determined to do that.
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