The BBC's director-general has vowed that the corporation will never again broadcast Princess Diana's 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. Tim Davie said he had made the decision in light of the "shocking" way her participation was secured.
Bashir faked bank statements and showed them to Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, in order to gain access to the princess, an inquiry by Lord Dyson found. The journalist was in "serious breach" of the BBC's guidelines, a report said, with the corporation proceeding to cover up their reporter's "deceitful behaviour" in a way that "fell short of high standards of integrity and transparency."
Tim Davie said: “Now we know about the shocking way that the interview was obtained, I have decided that the BBC will never show the programme again; nor will we license it in whole or part to other broadcasters. It does of course remain part of the historical record and there may be occasions in the future when it will be justified for the BBC to use short extracts for journalistic purposes.
