Tonight:
4°c
BBC executive Alan Yentob today hit back at critics of the corporation and told the Government to stop meddling in its affairs.
He ridiculed ministers such as Ben Bradshaw and Harriet Harman, who he accused of trying to interfere in casting decisions, and defended lavish spending on stars.
The £340,000-a-year creative director, who also presents arts shows, went on the attack after politicians got involved in the row over the sacking of Arlene Phillips from Strictly Come Dancing.
Mr Yentob said: "Do I think it's the job of ministers to decide who is cast in shows? Everybody around the building would like to be the person who decides who goes on that show or that show. Maybe Ben Bradshaw and Harriet Harman are no different."
Read exclusive interview with Alan Yentob
The BBC has been under fire following the publication of expenses and pay of its senior executives and Mr Yentob was criticised for paying nearly £160 for dinner with Nigella Lawson. He said that Lawson was not even there.
Instead, he took three people, including agents, to discuss future series of her show. He insisted that entertaining contacts and stars was a way of bringing in more business for the BBC, adding: "I am in overall charge of talent. I do take people to lunch every now and then."
Reader views (31)
Whilst not really a fan of Mr Yentob, I agree totally with what he's saying here. It's about time the BBC started showing it's teeth and standing up for itself a bit more, instead of falling on its sword whenever the Daily Mail and/or government start bleating incoherently about this supposed issue or that.
- Andy R, London, 06/08/2009 17:19
Report abuse
"He insisted that entertaining contacts and stars was a way of bringing in more business for the BBC"
Err excuse me, but I thought the BBC was a public-funded
broadcaster, not a business. If he wants to run a proper
business then abolish the license and let the
Bloated Bolshy Corp survive without the annual £3bn+
they automatically receive.
If Anna from London wants to continue paying for
it then she can and the rest of us will have a choice.
- Lb, Bromley, 06/08/2009 02:19
Report abuse
When you are on £340,000/year, of course he wants people to keep their noses out.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 05/08/2009 23:39
Report abuse
As long as the BBC, Mr. Yentob, continues to discriminate against female actors and directors and continues to misrepresent over 50% of the British population then our government has every right and responsibility to ensure equal representation on our screens. Mr. Yentob, wake up and take action to ensure that the real lives of real women are reflected on our stages and screens."
- Lottie, London, 05/08/2009 23:10
Report abuse
Does this idiot not know, this is public money?
- Baz, London UK, 05/08/2009 20:07
Report abuse
This was a thoughtless, stupid comment. We pay his salery, and politicians represent (suposidly) and the BBC should be answerable to them. Clearly there should not be political interefence on the reporting of events, etc, but there must be some form of democratic, effective fiscal control - there is none at the monent.
- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties, 05/08/2009 18:45
Report abuse
If Ben Bradshaw and Harriet Harman are interfering in casting decisions so much the better. The BBC used to be brilliant at casting but now that Yentob and his friends decide on who's going to appear in the few dramas the BBC still make they are usually ruined by bad casting. Come to think of it that the problem with a lot of their documentaries as well.
- Angela Staplehurst, Epping, UK, 05/08/2009 17:08
Report abuse
Mr Yentob displays the arrogance that he is so well known for. He would do well to remember that in real terms he and his colleagues exist solely by courtesy of the licence fee payers (forced payers I would add) who, it would seem, are turning away from the BBC in droves - just look at the audience ratings. Those of us who are enforced financial slaves of the Corporation welcome some attempts to curb the more vicous excesses of this business that appears to be running out of control
- Peter, Surrey, 05/08/2009 15:46
Report abuse
I used to work at the BBC. I have seen the high lunch bills. Its funny as the terms state one must not spend more than x on a hotel or x on entertaining (which has to be done of course) but I guess senior staff dont read those terms, or adhere to them..but someone is approving them..most of the time they just do what they like. The BBC is a bottomless pit of money.
- Cj, London, 05/08/2009 15:23
Report abuse
What does this man actually do for his large wage? And would he be missed if he wasn't doing it?
- Richard Firth, london UK, 05/08/2009 15:05
Report abuse
The vile Yentob has spent his entire career at the BBC abusing the trust that has been placed in him in order to line his own pockets and offer lavish contracts to his nasty friends to enable them to travel round the world at our expense just like he does. The programmes from the Imagine series, which are a good idea, are made completely unwatchable by his presence in them. His friendship with Peter Mandelson enabled him and Michael Grade to fill the millenium dome with the same downmarket trash he's shovelled into the BBC.
The BBC is currently held in utter contempt and he is majorly responsible for that sorry state of affairs. He and his fellow executives took something good and destroyed it and he and they are quite rightly pilloried for it.
- Romy Farnham, Notting Hill, UK, 05/08/2009 14:14
Report abuse
I fully agree with above comments apart from Anna. Couldn,t they be sent on to the BBC to let them know what the public think
- Terry Godman, London England, 05/08/2009 13:24
Report abuse
Yentob is a vastly overpaid arrogant fool,-and with that obscene salary he should be able to afford razorblades!!,-sack him now,and let him work in Starbucks,-"ace buffoon".
- Jacob, Canterbury Gulag England, 05/08/2009 13:21
Report abuse
I seems that there are two areas which are being used to screen the errors made by governments ministers and they are, in this case, the BBC and another area, which is the pensioner and especially the final salary pensioner. I certainly support Mr Alan Yentob in his criticism of the Government, which is suggest that the BBC SHOULD, be left to decide the governance of the BBC. Concern is expressed of the salaries of most senior members of staff and artists. Why bring all this ant-BBC criticism now? Or is it a smoke screen to cover their own iniquities and those who have placed themselves in enormous debt!!! The suspicions just grow!?
- Arthur Lincoln, Roeselare, Belgium, 05/08/2009 13:19
Report abuse
Is this the BBC loved and adored by its satisfied staff audiences, or is it the BBC that's becoming loathed and reviled by a public that has deserted the BBC's pathetic offerings in droves? For example, BBC1 has just recorded its lowest ratings ever for Saturday evenings.
The licence fee is not a voluntary option, but Planet BBC treats the public with breathtaking arrogance and contempt. Consider, for example the lousy value for money we get from presenters and staffers, the farming out of lucrative BBC contracts to companies owned by the spouses of BBC staffers, the endless repeats -especially of rubbish programs- and the forthcoming switch-off of FM broadcasting? How many licence payers want any of this, when we're all forced to pay for it?
A particular concern of mine is the bloody-minded determination of the BBC to ignore the growing avalanche of evidence that proves that so-called "global warming" is a lie, and that "global warming" is nothing but lying propaganda, amounting to the biggest tax-grabbing scam in history. For that reason alone, the BBC should be renamed the "British Brainwashing Corporation".
- Kate, London, 05/08/2009 13:15
Report abuse
Good for Yentob. And he will get even more bullying from the next Tory lot. The BBC is wonderful value for money and most of the best programmes on all the repeat cable channels were made by the Beeb. Sky is a complete rip off imo and pay their execs much more. I have cancelled my subscription which was money for a massive choice of complete dross.
- Anna, London SE9, 05/08/2009 12:46
Report abuse
This arrogant man needs brought down a peg or two! -If it weren't for consecutive Governments forcing the public to pay the licence fee, there'd be NO BBC as we know it.
I for one, am now fully prepared to join the ranks of 'won't pays' to question the disgusting abuse of licence-payer's money!
- Tony H., Cumbernauld Scotland, 05/08/2009 12:46
Report abuse
This arrogant man needs brought down a peg or two! -If it weren't for consecutive Governments forcing the public to pay the licence fee, there'd be NO BBC as we know it.
I for one, am now fully prepared to join the ranks of 'won't pays' to question the disgusting abuse of licence-payer's money!
- Tony H., Cumbernauld Scotland, 05/08/2009 12:43
Report abuse
Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?
Overpaid, expense-chiselling bore.
- Jp, London, 05/08/2009 12:37
Report abuse
Given that Alan Yentob is only a glorified civil servant paid by we the British taxpayers if I was a Minister I would have him sacked. He is overpaid. Creative? If ITV or C4 comes out with a format his creativity stretches no further than to copy them. He is third rater intellectually, a grovelling sycophant in his own naff tv programmes so put him out of his misery. And ours. Terminate his contract. See who else will employ him? No one.
- Malcolm Rasala, London, 05/08/2009 12:21
Report abuse
To paraphrase Mr. Yentob - "just give us the money and eff off".
Will no one have the courage to take this bloated maggot off the public purse?
- Sarah, London, UK, 05/08/2009 12:21
Report abuse
To be fair to Mr Yentob, he is only saying the govt has no place to decide how particular shows operate, the BBC has little input into this either because it is generally the production company decision surely? It is hypocritical of ministers to talk about waste, they should get their own house in order first!
I completely agree, that ministers have no place in dictating what goes on in the BBC, but I and the TV license paying public SHOULD! we should be more involved within this organisation that is funded BY US! yet we are force fed drivel - repeats after repeats and shows like strictly come dancing! I dont feel this is good value.
Take the license fee away and let 'em have adverts, we can fast forward them these days anyway!
- Alana Cunningham, London, 05/08/2009 12:15
Report abuse
Alan, we know where you are and how much taxpayers' cash you squander is all in the database. Come next May or June you'll be saying hello to the real world when the BBC is downsized to address the purpose for which it was originally intended.
- Peter, manchester, 05/08/2009 12:12
Report abuse
I strongly suspect that Yentob was behind at least some of the insane pay deals for the "talent" that has caused so much of the recent trouble for the BBC.
- G W, Eastbourne, 05/08/2009 12:03
Report abuse
The BBC is yet another government department that the next government will do well to cull by at least 10 percent.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 05/08/2009 11:58
Report abuse
Central Government has ALWAYS meddled in the BBC's affairs. Hence why they are so happy to keep in place legislation which FORCES us to pay for the Licence Fee - an anathema in todays society where we have hundreds of cable and satellite channels to choose from. If Yentob wants to keep his salary he might remember this equation - government enforced payment for state broadcasting = propaganda = nice little earner for people in the industry. Take away any element and the whole no longer exists.
- Real, London, 05/08/2009 11:54
Report abuse
These jokers are being paid a fortune, racking up huge pension deficits in the BBC pension fund. In 20 years, they'll only be able to transmit in black and white so Yentob and his fellow parasites can retire in the lap of luxury. Sickening.
- Da, london, 05/08/2009 11:51
Report abuse
Such arrogance. He really does not understand does he
- Sheila, london uk, 05/08/2009 11:51
Report abuse
If Mr Yentob wants the government to stop meddling in its affairs, it should start supporting itself instead of taking our money to support its lifestyle. Grow up and join the real world. The BBC's audiences are down, many of us are struggling and we watch limited appeal performers earn millions. Time for privatisation and the real world, Alan.
- Helene Davidson, London, 05/08/2009 11:42
Report abuse
Alan Yentob ought to be reminded that it is the viewers who pay his obscene salary - and therefore we are entitled to express our opinions on how our money is being misappropriated.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 05/08/2009 11:31
Report abuse
Why not keep your moth shut yentob, the Government allow you to be paid by us the taxpayer.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you very well on your £340K (plus expenses).
If you don't like it, you could always go and work in the real world, that's the private sector to you.
Word of warning though, you would be held accountable, and not get paid quite as much.
- P Staker, London, 05/08/2009 11:17
Report abuse
