Imagine you are director-general of the BBC. You are coming to the end of another gruelling week, having put your annual report to bed, and looking forward to one of the few perks of the job: entertaining guests in the BBC box at Wimbledon. It should be a brief moment of relaxation before hosting a press conference the following Tuesday when you know most questions will be about what its highest-paid presenters, such as Huw Edwards, earn, and not about how efficient the organisation is and how it is coping with a significant drop in income.
And then you get a call from the Sun about your best-known news presenter, who has had a wonderful 12 months, hosting the BBC’s coverage of great state occasions such as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and the coronation of King Charles.
