BBC One Chief Won’t Resign Over Royal Gaffe

LONDON, July 13: Peter Fincham, the controller of BBC One,
says he won’t step down over the blunder this week in which he showed reporters
a clip from an upcoming documentary where it appears that the Queen is storming
out of a photo shoot.

The BBC One documentary, A Year With the Queen, is due to be broadcast this fall. Presenting the
channel’s slate at a press conference on Wednesday, Fincham screened a clip
that apparently showed the Queen leaving a photo session with Annie Leibovitz
“in a huff.”

In the sequence screened, the famous photographer tells the
Queen: “I think it will look
better without the crown because the Garter robe is so…” At which point the
Queen says, “Less dressy? What do you think this is?” The next sequence appears
to show the Queen leaving, telling a lady-in-waiting: “I’m not changing
anything. I’ve had enough dressing like this, thank you very much.” The
perceived walkout made headlines worldwide.

The BBC and RDF Media, which produced the film, issued a
statement yesterday noting that the footage featured scenes that had been
“edited in the wrong order.” The scene depicting the Queen leaving the shoot
was in fact one of her walking in.

"The extracts shown from A Year With The Queen were supplied by RDF, who had made an early assembly
of the footage several months ago. This assembly was never intended to be seen
by the public or the press. Unfortunately, this assembly was given in error to
the BBC personnel who were preparing the BBC One autumn launch tape.

"RDF did not have an opportunity to review the BBC One
launch tape, but would like to apologize to the Queen and Annie Leibovitz for
this error. Peter Fincham, Controller of BBC One, used the sequence in good
faith without any knowledge that the error had been made."

The BBC and RDF have apologized for the mistake, but the BBC
Trust, which oversees the broadcaster, has reportedly demanded an explanation
from director-general Mark Thompson. According to British press reports, there
have also been calls for Fincham to step down.

“If Mark Thompson wants me to resign, I will, of course, do
so,” Fincham told BBC Breakfast. “As a
matter of fact, Mark Thompson has sent me a message of support in this, that he
doesn’t want me to resign.”

ITV’s executive chairman, Michael Grade, also weighed in on
the debacle; he is quoted as saying: “I think we are all vulnerable. We are in
an age today where there has been a huge influx of young talent into the
industry as it expands. They have not been trained properly, they don’t
understand that you do not lie to audiences at any time, in any
show—whether it’s news or whether it’s a quiz show. I feel sorry for the
BBC. They have been deceived, and it could be us tomorrow.”

Grade continued: “It’s all of a part with the telephone
scandals and so on, and the corners that have been cut. It’s desperately
important that we restore trust and that the program-makers get to
understand—whether through hard lessons or through training or a
combination of both—that you do not lie to audiences under any
circumstances.”

The Times reports
that the BBC has called on staffers to provide information on any shows they
believe have misled the public. Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, sent
a memo to staff noting: “It is crucial if there have been any other instances
in which audiences have been misled that I find out about them now.”

It added: “The principal mistake on Blue Peter was the deception of its audience. This issue is
clearly not exclusively related to the use of premium-rate telephony. However,
it is central to maintaining audience trust in the BBC.”

Last week, the BBC was fined £50,000 for faking the results
of a competition on the long-running kids’ show Blue Peter.