Abbott said Dyke was ousted by ‘the least qualified people in the industry’
Former director general Greg Dyke took a sideswipe at BBC governors at Sunday evening’s Bafta ceremony.
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They also came under fire from Paul Abbott, award-winning writer of BBC drama State of Play.
Dyke, presenting an award, received a standing ovation from the audience after Abbott criticised BBC governors – who accepted his resignation after the Hutton Report was published in January – as being “the least qualified people in the industry”.
Abbott, one of Britain’s most prominent television writers, said: “I still can’t believe that we as the audience, as investors, have allowed such a ‘guv’nor’, in the truest sense of the word, to get ousted by a handful of the least qualified people in the industry.
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“There are pictures of the BBC board of governors on the website. They are all small faces, no chins.”
Dyke later thanked the audience for their ovation and told them: “It’s a shame more of you weren’t around in January. I would like to say thank you very much to Paul Abbott for those few kind words said about me, and in particular those few words he said about the governors, because I tend to agree.”
By Wale Azeez
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