18 2GM Saturday November 14 2020 | the times
News
A former BBC executive who is a senior
figure at the regulator Ofcom has
stepped aside from a complaint over the
Panorama interview with Princess
Diana because of a potential conflict of
interest.
Ofcom is considering whether to in-
vestigate an objection from a lawyer
over reports that the journalist Martin
Bashir used forged papers to secure his
interview in 1995.
Tim Suter, 64, is a former Ofcom ex-
ecutive who now heads the regulator’s
content board, which supervises deci-
sions on whether to impose sanctions
on broadcasters.
When at the BBC, he played a signifi-
cant role in the investigation into alle-
gations against Bashir.
The complaint to Ofcom was submit-
ted by David Hooper, a retired media
solicitor, who said the Panorama claims
were “a complete scandal”. He said:
“There is a strong smell of stinking fish.”
He said the BBC should not investi-
gate itself because of “the underlying
allegations that the BBC has engaged in
conduct over 25 years involving serial
untruthfulness and cover-up”.
Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, has
claimed that Bashir forged bank state-ments smearing a former employee of
his and senior courtiers in order to gain
an introduction to the princess and win
her confidence.
When the claims surfaced in 1996, an
investigation by Tony Hall — later
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, director-gen-
eral — concluded that Bashir had been
“incautious” but was an “honest” man.
But Mr Hall said he would ensure
that the graphic artist, commissioned
by Bashir to forge the documents,
would not work at the BBC again.
Mr Hooper said: “The BBC have
given a number of conflicting accounts
of the use that they made of the forged
documents, which self-evidently can-
not all be true.” They have, he said,
“consistently exonerated themselves”.
He added: “This complaint is not
about the content of the interview...
but rather about the circumstances in
which the interview was obtained and
the mendacity of the BBC in relation to
their inquiry into the Panorama pro-
gramme and for the following 25 years.”
He has called for an independent in-
quiry, led by a retired judge or senior
QC and paid for by the BBC.
Ofcom said: “Tim Suter has had no
involvement, nor will he have, in any
consideration by Ofcom of this com-
plaint, nor of the Panorama case.”A handwritten letter from Diana, Prin-
cess of Wales, allegedly exonerating
Martin Bashir of using deceit to secure
his interview with her has been found
by the BBC.
The letter, which had disappeared
from the BBC archives, was purported-
ly sent by Diana while Bashir was under
investigation for allegedly having used
two forged bank statements to per-
suade her to do the Panorama interview
in 1995.
Tim Davie, director-general of the
BBC, has pledged that an independent
investigation would “get to the truth” of
allegations that Bashir forged docu-
ments and repeatedly lied to win the
princess’s trust.
A BBC spokeswoman said yesterday:
“The BBC has now recovered the prin-
cess’s original handwritten note which
is referred to in our records from the
time. We will pass it on to the independ-
ent investigation.”
The BBC declined to say where the
letter had been found or to release a
copy. Lord Grade of Yarmouth, a
Ofcom official with past ties
barred from Panorama case
Valentine LowBBC finds missing Diana
letter that ‘clears Bashir’
former BBC chairman, had said it ap-
peared to have disappeared convenien-
tly and questioned whether it was a for-
gery. The BBC has said its records show
that the princess stated in her letter that
she had not been exploited or coerced
into taking part in the interview.
Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, has
written to Mr Davie complaining that
the previous inquiry, headed by Lord
Hall of Birkenhead, his predecessor as
director-general and head of news at
the time of the Panorama interview, had
covered up a “web of deceit spun by
those in the organisation that you now
control”. An internal BBC inquiry in
1996 had investigated only the produc-
tion of two counterfeit bank statements
that Bashir showed the earl to gain an
introduction to his sister.
The new investigation will examine
other alleged deceits, including other
forged bank statements, a fax that
seemed falsely to suggest that Tiggy
Legge-Bourke, the nanny to Prince
William and Prince Harry, was preg-
nant by the Prince of Wales, and claims
that MI5 had Diana under surveillance.
A colleague of Bashir, who is now theBBC’s religious affairs correspondent,
said it was accepted that he would not
be returning to the broadcaster. “What
Martin has done is inexcusable,” the
colleague said. “There was clearly a
cover-up at the time and lies were told... There is no way back.”
Another colleague said: “I think Mar-
tin knows that he cannot return, that he
has been too damaged by Earl Spencer’s
allegations. He is a good correspondent
who really cares but he cannot survive
when we [the BBC] are looking to pro-
tect our reputation for integrity.”
According to the Daily Mail Bashir
has told friends that he intends to retire.
Bashir, 57, who has been said to be too
unwell with Covid-19 to answer ques-
tions, was said to have told one friend:
“This is a tragic way to retire and I’m
sorry for all the embarrassment I have
caused you.” He is thought to be ready
to co-operate with an inquiry.
Paul Burrell, the princess’s butler,
told True Royalty TV that she wanted
to do the interview with Bashir because
she “liked” him, wanted to help him “get
up the ladder” at the BBC and “wanted
her story to come out”.
David Brown, Valentine Low
SWNSA
care home is
granting
wishes to all
its residents,
including a
ride in a Ferrari, sitting
in a combine harvester
and seeing Cliff Richard
(Will Humphries
writes).
Residents at
Aura Care
Living in
Cirencester,
Gloucester-
shire, were
asked to
write down
their requests
and place them
on a “wishing
tree”. Staff would do
their best to grant their
every desire.
Care workers are
working through the list
but have already
provided touchingmoments for several
residents.
Marjorie, 89, was the
first to have her dream
fulfilled when Cliff
Richard, her musical
hero, sent her a video
message.
The care home was
then inundated with
calls from people
who wanted to
help out. The
next resident
to have a
wish
granted was
John, 91, who
had asked to
ride in a
Ferrari.
This prompted a
generous motorist to
turn up at the home in a
Superfast, an 800bhp
Ferrari 812 GTS.
The pensioner was
delighted to be taken fora spin. Eddie the Eagle,
the 56-year-old Olympic
ski-jumper known to his
mother as Michael
Edwards, was next to
grant a wish.
He sent a video
message to Jim, 73, his
former driving
instructor. The resident
asked to see “Eddie the
Eagle again as I taught
him how to drive”.
Eddie praised Jim for
his help, saying thatwithout being able to
drive he could not have
driven to the ski slopes
of Europe, where he
practised before finding
fame at Calgary in 1998.
Frank, 94, and
Margaret, 98, had their
wish to see and sit once
again on a combine
harvester granted.
The team at the care
home was not daunted
by the prospect of
wheeling a big tractorinto their site. They
got in touch with a
local company to
secure two
vehicles for the
pair.
Susan, 77, had the
dream to “see a horse
and stroke her nose”.
This was granted
thanks to another local
company that arranged
for her to meet, feed and
walk the horse around
the care home grounds.Val, 86, said that she
wanted to see “Pam
Ayres because her
poems make me smile”.
Ayres, 73, got in touch
soon after to send Val a
video with a reading ofher joyful poem about a
naughty terrier. Val was
thrilled.
Finally Maureen, 59,
was granted her wish to
receive a blue rose,
made by the team at the
care home.
They said: “Maureen
was overwhelmed
because she had
admired some roses
while flower arranging
earlier in the week and
stated she always had
loved blue roses but had
never received one.
“To make our
resident’s dreams come
true means the world to
us.”
Staff are still working
to grant more wishes for
residents, including
getting a former royal
guard back to
Buckingham Palace.
Linda Lloyd, the chief
executive of the care
home, said: “I am
overwhelmed with
the hard work from
our wonderful staff
and generous
displays from others
to make our residents’
wishes come true.
“2020 has been a
tough year for all,
especially those in care
homes. Making these
wishes come true has
brought immeasurable
joy to our residents.
“We cannot wait to
share our new venture
of making wishes come
true to people within the
local community and
look forward to making
as many happen as
possible.”Care home where
dreamin’ pays off
John, 91, was delighted to
take a spin in a Ferrari
while Frank, 94, preferred
a combine harvester and
Marjorie, 89, got a video
message from Cliff Richardtmuld docalls fr
who
he
ne
to
w
g
Jo
had
ride
FFFFerrari
This prom