Diana fallout: 1995 BBC head quits his gallery job

LONDON:

Tony Hall

, who was director of

BBC news

and current affairs at the time of the public broadcaster’s explosive 1995 interview with Princess

Diana

, resigned on Saturday as board chairman of Britain’s National Gallery.


Hall, who subsequently rose to the top job at the BBC, was heavily criticised in a report this week for a botched inquiry into how journalist Martin Bashir obtained the blockbuster interview. In a statement, Hall said his continued presence at the gallery would be a “distraction to an institution I care deeply about”. “I am very sorry for the events of 25 years ago and I believe leadership means taking responsibility,” Hall said. The 126-page report by retired Judge John Dyson, published on Thursday, found the internal

BBC

probe had covered up “deceitful behaviour” by Bashir when he interviewed Diana.