BBC’s probe into Huw Edwards will not report back for months, admits Tim Davie
THE BBC’s probe into Huw Edwards will not report back for months, Tim Davie admitted yesterday.
The under-fire Director General also revealed an internal inquiry into how the corporation handles complaints may not conclude until the “late autumn.”
The Beeb boss was speaking publicly on the scandal for the first time while giving evidence to a House of Lords committee.
He told the peers that sifting through allegations made against the News at Ten star will likely take "weeks or a couple of months or even longer".
But he confirmed for the first time that the BBC has been in touch with the complainant who alleged the presenter paid a young person for sex pic.
He said: "Since that weekend we have been in touch with the complainant and we want to be engaged and appropriately listening and understanding their concerns."
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In a coded hint to the the troubled newsreader, he confirmed that high-profile staff members have in their contract a clause about not bringing the BBC into disrepute.
He said: "I think we've done really good work at the BBC, and I'm proud, actually, of the work we've done over the last few years - having a really clear code of conduct, our values... I mean, we've done a very big push on what our values are as an organisation.
"We've got, I think, a good process; we could do more with it."
Quizzed on the latest developments, Mr Davie said: "This has been a difficult affair where we have tried to calmly and reasonably navigate some difficult concerns around the allegations themselves, duty of care, privacy and legitimate public interest."
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He added: "We are in the process of looking at those facts, we are keen to receive any information, we want to understand anything that is out there.
"It's difficult to give a precise time on that because you have to go though that diligently, assess the information, there are duty of care concerns within that.
“Because I'm not control of all the variables that could take weeks or a couple of months or even longer, depending on what we get and managing the individuals concerned flawlessly.
"My main priority is to be fair and get all the information into that process and act judiciously."
Appearing in the Lords alongside Mr Davie, the acting chairwoman of the BBC said she was "informed immediately" following allegations about Huw Edwards and the corporation's board met twice to discuss the controversy.
Dame Elan Closs Stephens told the House of Lords' Communications and Digital Committee that Simon Cuerden of Deloitte and Sir Nick Serota will be leading the broadcaster's review into how complaints are assessed.