Chair of the BBC explained

Post:Chair
Body:the BBC
Incumbent:Dr Samir Shah
Incumbentsince:4 Mar 2024
Department:BBC Board
BBC
Member Of:BBC Board
Appointer:Monarch, on the advice of the Secretary of State.
Termlength:Four years, renewable once
Constituting Instrument:Royal charter
First:The Lord Gainford
Salary:£160,000

The Chair of the BBC, referred to as Chairman when the incumbent is male and Chairwoman when female, is the head of the BBC Board, responsible for maintaining the independence of the BBC and overseeing the functioning of the BBC to fulfil its mission.[1] [2] The chair leads the process for appointing the Director-General and can dismiss the Director-General.[3] The chair of the BBC also acts as the corporation's most senior representative to Parliament and the government, including the devolved administrations.[4]

The chair is formally appointed by the King-in-Council, on the advice of the Secretary of State for a four-year term.[3] The current chairman, Dr Samir Shah, succeeded chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens on 4 March 2024.[5]

List of chairmen

Status
PortraitName
Term of officeHonour(s)Prime MinisterMonarch
George V

The Lord Gainford
18 December 192231 December 1926David Lloyd George
Bonar Law
Stanley Baldwin
Ramsay MacDonald
Stanley Baldwin
The Earl of Clarendon
1 January 19271930Stanley Baldwin
Ramsay MacDonald
John Henry Whitley
19303 February 1935
The Viscount Bridgeman
193514 August 1935
Stanley Baldwin
Ronald Collet Norman
19351939
Neville ChamberlainEdward VIII

George VI

Allan Powell
19391946
Winston Churchill
Clement Attlee
The Lord Inman
19471947
The Lord Simon of Wythenshawe
19471952
Winston ChurchillElizabeth II

Alexander Cadogan
19521957
Anthony Eden
Harold Macmillan
Arthur fforde
19571964
Alec Douglas-Home
The Lord Normanbrook
196415 June 1967
Harold Wilson
The Lord Hill of Luton
19671972
Edward Heath
Michael Swann
19731980Baron Swann for Life in 1981
Harold Wilson
James Callaghan
Margaret Thatcher
George Howard
19801983Baron Howard of Henderskelfe for Life in 1981
Stuart Young
198329 August 1986
Marmaduke Hussey
19861996Baron Hussey of North Bradley for Life in 1996
John Major
Christopher Bland
1 April 199630 September 2001
Tony Blair
Gavyn Davies
1 October 200128 January 2004
The Lord Ryder of Wensum
28 January 200417 May 2004
Michael Grade
17 May 200428 November 2006Baron Grade of Yarmouth for Life in 2011
Anthony Salz
28 November 200631 December 2006Knighted in 2013
Chitra Bharucha
1 January 200730 April 2007Tony Blair
Sir Michael Lyons
1 May 200730 April 2011
Gordon Brown
David Cameron
The Lord Patten of Barnes
1 May 20116 May 2014
Diane Coyle
6 May 20148 October 2014
Rona Fairhead
9 October 20142 April 2017Baroness Fairhead for Life in 2017
Theresa May
Sir David Clementi
16 February 2017[6] [7] 15 February 2021Knighted in 2004Theresa May
Boris Johnson
Richard Sharp
16 February 2021[8] 27 June 2023[9] [10]
Liz Truss
Charles III

Rishi Sunak
Dame Elan Closs Stephens
27 June 20234 March 2024Knighted as a Dame in 2019
Dr Samir Shah
4 March 2024Incumbent
Sir Keir Starmer

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Chairmanship of the BBC. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 6. 6 August 2007. 17 September 2018.
  2. Web site: Sir David Clementi. BBC. 15 September 2018. 2 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181102110001/https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/biographies/clementi_david#heading-roles-and-responsibilities. dead.
  3. Web site: Royal Charter for the Continuance of the British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC. December 2016. 15 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170712193850/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/about/how_we_govern/2016/charter.pdf. 12 July 2017. dead.
  4. Web site: Chair - British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) . Cabinet Office . . 23 March 2021.
  5. Web site: 22 February 2024 . Dr Samir Shah CBE is confirmed as the new BBC Chair . 4 March 2024.
  6. Became Chairman of the BBC Board on replacement of the BBC Trust on 3 April 2017
  7. Web site: David Clementi. About the BBC. 19 February 2021.
  8. Web site: BBC chairman Richard Sharp resigns after Boris Johnson loan row . 2023-04-28 . BBC News . 28 April 2023 . en-gb.
  9. Web site: Richard Sharp resigns as BBC chairman following row over Boris Johnson loan . 28 April 2023.
  10. Web site: Richard Sharp. About the BBC. 19 February 2021.