Author Description

The eagerly awaited, explosive account by Greg Dyke of his four years at the helm of the BBC – and of their fiery end in January this year.On 28 January 2000, Greg Dyke became Director-General of the BBC. His appointment was controversial. He was accused of being a 'Tony crony'. The organization he joined was in trouble. An atmosphere of fear permeated the BBC; his predecessor, John Birt, was disliked by large numbers of the staff. People believed what they achieved was 'despite' the management, not thanks to it.In the next four years, Greg Dyke launched four new TV channels and five radio stations, and changed the culture of the whole organization. BBC One became the most popular channel in Britain for the first time. Staff surveys showed a complete turnaround in the attitude of the people working for the BBC.On 28 January 2004 Greg Dyke left his post after the biggest conflict between the Government and the BBC in living memory. The Iraq war had claimed another victim. When he announced he was going, some 3000 members of the staff took to the streets to protest. Thousands signed petitions.This is Greg Dyke's story of those few years – plus a lot more…