Dyke To Take Control Of BBC Two Months Early

Greg Dyke, the incoming director general of the BBC, is set to take up his post full-time at the end of January, two months earlier than had originally been planned (see Dyke To Be Next BBC Director General).

The Corporation’s current director general, Sir John Birt, has decided to step down on 28 January after receiving a life peerage in the New Year’s Honours List. As a life peer Birt will be voting on political issues, something which is deemed incompatible with holding the director general’s post at the BBC.

Dyke’s installation is expected to bring with it a degree of management shake-up at the public service broadcaster. He is understood to have already decided on removing one raft of middle managers from the Corporation’s structure in an attempt to divert more money into programme-making. The use of external consultants, which reportedly costs the BBC up to £20 million a year, is also likely to be cut back under Dyke’s leadership.

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