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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business

Is Tim Davie’s successor at the BBC facing the glass cliff?

The outgoing BBC director-general, Tim Davie, outside the BBC headquarters in London.
The outgoing BBC director-general, Tim Davie, outside the BBC headquarters in London. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Sadly, Matthew Ryder’s “silver lining” in the BBC debacle, that all the candidates to replace Tim Davie are women (Letters, 11 November), is in reality a well-known psychological phenomenon known as the glass cliff. It was first described more than 20 years ago by two psychologists in a study that examined a series of FTSE 100 companies, finding that those that had performed especially badly in the previous half year tended to follow that performance by more frequently hiring women in senior roles, thus setting them up to fail.
Judith Flanders
Montreal, Canada

• If Donald Trump sues the BBC for reputational damage, I’m prepared to give up my winter fuel payment, which should more than cover it.
Alan Pearson
Broadbottom, Greater Manchester

• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

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