Mark Thompson confirms BBC departure

Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC, has confirmed he will leave the corporation in the Autumn.

Mark Thompson’s departure from the BBC was widely expected; in January it was revealed that the corporation was already looking at possible replacements for him. Media experts had already been speculating as to what a post Thompson BBC may look like and what any incoming director general would face.

Thompson became the director general in 2004 following the resignation of Greg Dyke who stepped down following the Hutton report – widely described as a ‘white wash’ by the media. Thompson’s tenure as director general has certainly been turbulent; at times it has seen as though the corporation was going from one crisis to another. As with other broadcasters the BBC was drawn into the premium phone-in scandal and fakery scandal.

The ‘sachsgate’ affair was particularly damaging on the BBC and the corporation’s controversial relocation to Salford has also drawn considerable criticisms. The amount of money the move has involved and the moving of services to Salford has not been widely welcomed. The BBC’s relocation of Casualty to Cardiff, Breakfast to Salford and the forthcoming relocation of Waterloo Road to Scotland has also drawn criticisms for the amount of money involved.

During Thompson’s tenure thousands of jobs have been lost, BBC services have been threatened with closure – such as BBC 6 Music, and the corporation had to settle for a licence fee freeze prompting more job losses and budget cuts. There have also been criticisms that the BBC has pandered to the Tory party over certain issues.

While no date had been set for Mark Thompson’s exit from the BBC he is expected to remain until after the Olympics and Diamond Jubilee. His eight year stint makes him the longest serving director general since the 1970s.