- BBC boss Danny Cohen helped organise ‘independent’ letter
- Michael Palin admitted Cohen called him and asked him to sign it
- He said: ‘Danny rang me up. He just asked me: “Would you sign?”
- Annie Nightingale also said her boss said BBC head of TV ‘put it together’
- Mr Cohen has also been thanking stars for support using #backtheBBC
Michael Palin revealed today the BBC’s £327,800-a-year TV boss Danny Cohen secretly helped to organise a letter of support signed by 29 celebrities.
The comedian and presenter, 72, admitted that the corporation’s director of television lobbied him to sign it because he was ‘worried the BBC would become smaller’.
It has been presented as independent but it appears that Cohen was a cheerleader for the letter signed by some of Britain’s biggest stars, including some of the BBC’s highest paid broadcasters.
Veteran DJ Annie Nightingale has also said the head of Radio 1 asked her to sign it and told her Cohen had been ‘putting it together’.
Mr Cohen, who is responsible of all the BBC’s TV channels, has also used his Twitter account to thank stars for their support and re-tweeted dozens of messages using the hashtag #BackTheBBC.
Stephen Fry, Claudia Winkleman, Miranda Hart, Graham Norton, Sir David Attenborough and Gary Lineker were among 29 celebrities who wrote to David Cameron warning funding reforms will ‘diminish’ Britain.
Many of those who backed it rely indirectly on Mr Cohen for work, while others such as Rachel Weisz are friends.
Speaking to BBC News 24 Michael Palin said: ‘I was asked to sign it by Danny Cohen, the director of television.
‘Danny Cohen rang me up. I have met Danny on various occasions. He knows I’m a supporter of the BBC, he knows I’ve done some good work and he appreciates the work I have done and knows I appreciate the work that others have done.
‘So he just asked me: “Would you sign? The Charter is coming up and we are a bit worried the BBC will become smaller and less significant”.
‘I don’t think it is a good idea that it should be smaller and chipped away so I said yes’.
Last night Annie Nightingale, 75, Radio 1’s longest-serving presenter, also revealed that she had been asked to sign the letter by her boss, Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper.
Mr Cooper told her that Danny Cohen was behind the letter, she said.
She told The Times: ‘Ben said Danny Cohen was putting this letter together and said, ‘Would you like to be included’… I understood vaguely what it would say. I didn’t read the letter before it went out.’
A BBC spokesman refused to disclose whether it wrote the letter or sanctioned it, saying only: ‘These are people who clearly want to speak up for the BBC. The letter is from the signatories. It speaks for itself. They have their own strong views.’
Yesterday, sources at the corporation claimed that the letter had been circulated by Professor Brian Cox, another one of the signatories. It is unclear whether the letter was written by Mr Cohen, the BBC’s press office, or someone else.
Today the options for sweeping reforms to the funding and operation of the BBC will be set out by the Government in the latest stage of the battle over the renewal of the broadcaster’s royal charter.
A Green Paper being published by Culture Secretary John Whittingdale will consult on possible replacements for the licence fee and is expected to seek views on a narrowing of its range of programming to focus on public service shows not chasing ratings.
Some in Government are reported to favour scrapping the rolling news channel, scaling back its website and cutting expensive entertainment shows such as The Voice.
Mr Whittingdale has appointed an eight-person panel to work on the renewal of the BBC’s royal charter – which sets out the corporation’s remit – which runs out at the end of next year.
Members of the advisory group include former Channel 5 boss Dawn Airey, who has previously called for the licence fee to be cut and for the broadcaster to consider charging for its website, and former Ofcom chairwoman Colette Bowe.
Ms Bowes’ inclusion fuelled speculation that the Green Paper will propose that the independent regulator could take over the role of the BBC Trust in overseeing the corporation, a move George Osborne has signalled that he favours.
The Chancellor has also criticised the BBC website for ‘becoming a bit more imperial in its ambitions’ in a hint at possible moves to scale it back to protect newspapers.
BBC director-general Tony Hall said this week that the charter debate was ‘shaping up to be a clash between two different views of the future’ and criticised plans to reduce the corporation’s commercial activity.
He said audiences do not want ‘a significantly smaller BBC’ and the public’s voice ‘will matter most in this debate’.
HOW £327,000-A-YEAR BBC BOSS IS NEVER FAR FROM CONTROVERSY
Danny Cohen’s ascent to the top of the BBC has been nothing short of meteoric.
At 33, he became boss of BBC3, pedalling ‘yoof’ shows with trashy titles such as Snog Marry Avoid, **** Off, I’m A Hairy Woman, and Hotter Than My Daughter.
It was an odd fit for the Oxford-educated television executive, who is described by colleagues as serious and cerebral.
But Mr Cohen, who is also supremely ambitious, knew that it was necessary for him to get ahead.
His plan worked and he was soon promoted to run BBC1, becoming – at 36 – its youngest-ever controller.
A few years later, he became director of television, earning £327,000 a year. The next goal, friends say, is to succeed Lord Tony Hall as director general.
He was at the centre of the Jeremy Clarkson scandal, which eventually ended in the presenter being sacked for punching a Top Gear producer over a steak.
‘He’s quite a moral character, so it is very uncomfortable for him,’ said a friend at the time.
The BBC’s golden boy wanted to suspend or sack Clarkson last year, after he used the racist word ‘slope’ on a Top Gear special in Burma.
However, Mr Cohen was overruled by Lord Hall, forcing him to let Clarkson off with a ‘final’ warning. ‘It was humiliating for him,’ said a colleague.
The executive is married to Noreena Hertz, a beautiful Cambridge economics professor six years his elder.
The pair have spent years living together in Bohemian splendour in North London, forming one of the area’s most impressive power duos.
When the couple married in March 2012, actress Rachel Weisz was a bridesmaid, and the guest list included Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson.
The luvvie elite paid millions of licence fee payers’ cash
Twenty-nine celebrities and other figures from the arts world wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister yesterday, warning that plans to reform the BBC will harm Britain’s standing in the world.
Here, MARIO LEDWITH examines the links between some of the stars and the Corporation:
Rachel Weisz: The actress is a close friend of the BBC’s director of television Danny Cohen – and was a bridesmaid at his 2012 wedding. She starred in the BBC-produced spy film Page Eight in 2011.
Gary Lineker: Hosts Match of the Day for around £2million a year. Has said: ‘You can never really justify wages in the entertainment business, but it is what it is.’
JK Rowling: Wrote The Casual Vacancy, which was made into a three-part series for BBC1. Two crime novels – The Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm – are to be adapted by the BBC.
Professor Brian Cox: Presents BBC science output, including the hit series Wonders of the Universe.
Claudia Winkleman: One of the BBC’s most recognisable faces, hosting Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly, The Great British Sewing Bee and taking over from Jonathan Ross on The Film Programme.
Lord Bragg: Started at the BBC as a trainee in 1961. Renowned for his broadcasts on Radio 4 such as In Our Time which he has hosted since 1998.
Jamie Oliver: Now tied to Channel 4, Oliver made his name on The Naked Chef which first aired on BBC2 in 1999. The programme saw his cookbook become a bestseller.
Michael Palin: First started writing comedy for the BBC after leaving university, before Monty Python began. Spent decades travelling the world for programmes commissioned by BBC bosses. His daughter Rachel has also worked as a director for the BBC.
Chris Evans: The successor to Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear is one of the BBC’s highest paid stars. Also a popular Radio 2 host and part-time presenter of The One Show, he is in line for £5million over three years.
Clare Balding: Has presented the BBC’s Countryfile and radio documentaries, reported from five Olympic Games and most recently fronted Wimbledon coverage.
Richard Curtis: Writer of films including Four Weddings and a Funeral has also enjoyed an illustrious TV career. First commissioned to co-write a series with Rowan Atkinson in 1978 for Radio 3, leading to TV hits such as Not the Nine O’Clock News and The Vicar of Dibley. Co-founder of Comic Relief, which is broadcast on BBC1.
Stephen Fry: Host of quiz show QI and a regular guest on the Corporation’s other panel shows. He has starred in a range of dramatic productions and presented BBC documentaries.
Simon Schama: Historian rose to fame after his series A History of Britain aired on the BBC in 2000. The Labour supporter signed a deal – said to be worth £3million – with the Corporation in 2003 to write three books and front two series.
Sir Lenny Henry: Worked first as a DJ on Radio 1, before being handed his big break by the BBC in 1984 with The Lenny Henry Show. But he has hit out at Corporation bosses in recent years, saying their plans to see more ethnic minority actors on screen were not working.
Miranda Hart: Comedienne’s sitcom Miranda first appeared on BBC2 in 2009, having previously been on Radio 2. Also stars in Call the Midwife.
Sir David Attenborough: His wildlife series such as Life on Earth have helped the Corporation reap huge rewards selling rights across the world. But in 2013, he described BBC executives’ salaries as a ‘huge embarrassment’.
Michael McIntyre: Following regular appearances on Live at the Apollo, the comedian was given a prime-time slot on BBC1 with Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. This led to his own BBC1 chat show.
Graham Norton: Comedian’s BBC broadcasts – including The Graham Norton Show – have propelled him to the top of its pay lists. He is thought to receive well over £1million a year from the Corporation.
Steven Moffat: Writer responsible for two of the BBC’s most popular dramas – Sherlock and Doctor Who.
Daniel Craig: Starred in Bafta-winning BBC series ‘Our Friends in the North’ in 1996 – often considered the James Bond actor’s breakthrough role.
Dame Judi Dench: Was propelled to Hollywood after winning a Bafta for her performance in BBC series Talking to a Stranger in 1966. Appeared in BBC series Cranford in 2007.
Mark Rylance: Renowned stage actor won plaudits earlier this year for portraying Thomas Cromwell in the BBC2 adaption of the novel Wolf Hall.
Adil Ray: Creator and star of BBC1 sitcom Citizen Khan. Work for BBC radio includes his own Asian Network show.