As he addressed his staff, the BBC’s outgoing director-general Tim Davie sounded remarkably upbeat given the events of the last few days.
Within a matter of minutes, he had said the word “proud” almost a dozen times. Proud of his staff, proud of what the corporation represents.
Having announced his resignation on Sunday, he was keen to stress that he was still in charge at the BBC and that he would ensure a smooth transition for whoever takes over.
Although he admitted it’s “been a rough few days”, quite frankly, it was a little bizarre how chipper he seemed. “This narrative will not be given by our enemies,” he insisted.
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You get a sense his own staff are beyond fed up with the “nothing to see here” approach Davie has maintained throughout his tenure.
While the outgoing director-general might be hoping an inspirational quote or two might reassure those working for him, in truth, many of the insiders I’ve spoken to have seemed both weary and relieved that he’s finally on his way.
His departure is “long overdue”, one told me.
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Rumours of a coup and behind the scenes boardroom plotting have been embarrassing as the BBC tries to present a united front. In the same all-staff call, BBC chair Samir Shah was quick to say we shouldn’t believe “conspiracy theories”.
He also suggested criticism of the board was “disrespectful”, when answering a question about whether members demonstrate BBC values.
If the briefing was supposed to be a chance for staff to put their questions to those in charge, it certainly wasn’t that.
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I’m told that while the Q&A had a comments box for questions, any submitted had to be reviewed before everyone could see them.
When questions about the rumoured plotter in chief, board member Sir Robbie Gibb, weren’t getting through, staff started attempting to ask questions in the reply boxes, which were public. A friend of Mr Gibb’s suggested to Deadline that the coup theory was “absolute nonsense”.
It shows BBC staff are angry, and that’s understandable given the battering the organisation has taken in the last week.
While the bosses are keen to stress that if everyone pulls together, the BBC can ride out the storm, it’s going to take more than words to reassure frustrated staff.
