A vital national asset in today’s world

This has been a challenging year for the BBC, but also one that has demonstrated very clearly why this organisation continues to be much more than a broadcaster – it plays a profound role in the cultural life of this country.

As set out in these pages, BBC teams have delivered outstanding content and services for our audiences. We have kept the public informed in uncertain, fast-changing times. We have reflected the whole of the UK and its diverse communities in the content we produce and the stories we tell. We have brought people together in their millions for shared national events and unmissable moments of escapism and joy.

Much of this is thanks to the extraordinary contribution made by Tim Davie during his tenure as Director-General. Tim was an exceptional leader – committed, principled, and tireless in his support for this organisation.

On a personal level, Tim was a great support to me as Chair and an outstanding Board member and colleague. On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to express our deep gratitude for everything he achieved. There has been no greater advocate for the BBC and his thoughts and vision for the future of the BBC contributed hugely to our response to the government’s Green Paper and public consultation on the BBC.

That response – published in March – is an important milestone in the process of agreeing a new Royal Charter beyond 2027. It sets out a range of proposals for how the BBC could do more for UK audiences in the years ahead. The BBC faces pressures from cash-rich global streaming platforms and intensifying international competition. To stay relevant, the BBC must embrace this competition for audiences and find new ways of delivering content that speaks to all communities, geographies, opinions and attitudes.

But our Green Paper response was also clear that delivering on these plans will require radical reform – not only of the BBC but also the framework within which it operates. The new Charter, including future funding model, must ensure we continue to be a universal public service media organisation of scale. We look forward to working with the government very closely in the months ahead to secure our future for the next generation and beyond.

Good governance remains central to that future. The challenges faced by the BBC over the past year have been significant – from the Panorama edit of President Trump’s speech on 6 January 2021 and the breach of our Editorial Guidelines by Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, to the serious broadcasting errors at Glastonbury and the BAFTA Film Awards. We know that people care deeply about these mistakes. They affect confidence in our journalism, trust in the BBC as a public institution, and perceptions about how effectively we are held to account.

The Board is acutely aware of the standards the BBC must set. I believe the decision by Deborah Turness to resign from her position as BBC News CEO was an admirable act. I want to thank Deborah for her work leading the ongoing transformation of the news operation during her time at the BBC. Deborah’s commitment to digital innovation and cultural change was outstanding: she leaves behind a strong legacy.

It was right that the Board also reviewed the operation of what is now the Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) in the wake of these failings. I am confident that the changes we have now introduced will ensure that swift, appropriate and transparent action is taken to address editorial issues as effectively as possible, whenever they occur.

The Board continues to maintain a strong focus on editorial issues of this kind. I was pleased this year to welcome the latest in a series of independent thematic reviews that the Board regularly commissions to help monitor and inform impartiality in our output.

The exam question for this review was this: how well does the BBC accurately reflect the people of this country in all their infinite variety? The report is clear that the BBC does a lot of good things to reflect the country at large. You might have seen our Made of Here films, which capture extremely well how so much of what the BBC does is made across the nations and regions and reflects the lives of local communities. But the report also challenged the organisation to improve in a number of areas and I am pleased to report the BBC has responded to that challenge energetically and enthusiastically.

I want to thank the report’s authors – Anne Morrison and Chris Banatvala – for an important and thorough piece of work.

Another area of special focus for the Board has been the question of workplace culture. I am proud that the BBC has taken a leading role for the industry this year by publishing a report into workplace practices. Culture change is not a quick fix – it requires ongoing effort and commitment. We have seen, for example, the departure of some high profile figures from the BBC over the past 12 months and I strongly welcome what the executive has achieved in this area, working closely with the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA).

There have been some significant changes to the make-up of the BBC Board this year. Shumeet Banerji stepped down from the Board in November and was replaced as a non-executive in January by Jody Ford. Bérangère Michel joined us in January as Group CFO and it was announced that Damon Buffini and Leigh Tavaziva would be standing down from their Board roles in 2026. I would like to thank them both for their time, commitment and deep support for the BBC.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rhodri Talfan Davies for his work as Interim Director-General. His has been a steadying presence in a period of transition, and his leadership and guidance have been invaluable. The Board is delighted to have appointed Matt Brittin as the new Director-General. We are confident that Matt has the passion, experience and vision that are needed to reshape the BBC for the future.

I am immensely proud of how the BBC and our people have served the public over the course of this year. We face considerable challenges and financial pressures, but we continue to respond – whether it is through our record of creative excellence, or the performance of BBC Commercial, or the strength and impact of our Across the UK programme.

This report illustrates the critical role the organisation continues to play at the heart of our national life, from hits like The Traitors, The Night Manager and Small Prophets to stories from every corner of the country like Blue Lights, Granite Harbour, Death Valley, and Beyond Paradise; from our trusted Children’s programming to BBC Bitesize; from coverage of the Women’s Euros and Winter Olympics; to our local news services to our expert reporting of consequential global events.

There is no other country in the world that has a media organisation like the BBC. We are an instrument of social cohesion in a world where division, disruption and distrust are becoming a way of life.

As the process of reviewing our Charter continues, I believe the organisation is well placed to keep reinventing itself to secure success in the next decade and beyond, always with the interests of our audiences at heart.