BBC NAMES EX-JUDGE TO LEAD PROBE INTO EXPLOSIVE 1995 DIANA INTERVIEW

Thu 19 November 2020:

The BBC’s board of directors hired former supreme court judge Lord Dyson to lead an independent investigation into the circumstances around a controversial 1995 TV interview with Princess Diana, the broadcaster said Wednesday.

The corporation said it had approved the appointment of former Supreme Court judge John Dyson to lead the probe, which comes after calls from the late princess’ brother, Charles Spencer.

Spencer has alleged that the flagship “Panorama” programme reporter who conducted the interview, Martin Bashir, showed him faked documents to persuade his sister to take part.

Martin Bashir, the former MSNBC anchor, made his name on the back of the Panorama interview, during which Diana uttered the now-famous words that there were “three of us in this marriage” in relation to her broken relationship with Prince Charles.

Spencer called on new director general Tim Davie to investigate, and now the BBC has hired Lord Dyson to secure some answers. “The BBC is determined to get to the truth about these events and that is why we have commissioned an independent investigation,” Davie said today.

Diana and Charles formally divorced in 1996. She died in a Paris car crash the following year.

New reports have surfaced alleging that Bashir used underhand methods to persuade Diana to talk, including by claiming her own staff members were being paid to spy on her.

“This is an important investigation which I will start straight away,” Dyson said in a statement. “I will ensure it is both thorough and fair.”

The BBC set out the terms of reference for the probe, focusing principally on the role of Bashir, who was little-known at the time but went on to have a global career.

Bashir has not responded to the latest claims. The BBC has said he was seriously unwell after contracting the coronavirus.

The BBC has been accused of a cover-up in a previous inquiry when rumours about Bashir’s alleged methods first surfaced.