Martin Bashir: BBC releases 3,000 emails related to Princess Diana interview scandal

Martin Bashir has blamed the controversy over how he secured a meeting with Princess Diana on professional jealousy.

Newly released emails also show that the journalist believed his class and race played a role in the scandal.

His comments were written in 2020, months before a documentary examining the 1995 interview exposed the scandal.

The BBC has released around 3,000 emails related to the scandal following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

A 2021 investigation found that Bashir secured the interview through deception and forging documents.

A judge ordered the emails to be released after investigative journalist Andy Webb asked for the documents to be released.

Mr Webb claims BBC managers tried to cover up the journalist’s actions in 1995 when he secured a Panorama interview in 2020.

The BBC said any suggestion it had acted with malicious intent was “completely false”.

In an email dated 20 July 2020, Mr Bashir told BBC Head of History Robert Seeter that the forged documents did nothing to ensure the security of the interview and that Dimble He said that if a “dynasty” journalist like one of the Bees had interviewed him, there would not have been so much controversy. Involved.

Bashir wrote: “I am disappointed to hear that this so-called ‘fabricated’ story is gaining traction again. This story did not lend itself to interviews, especially in professional situations within a company. jealousy allowed him to hang his hat on suspicions of wrongdoing.”

“At the time, it was also clear that there was some frustration that a second-generation immigrant with non-white working-class roots had to have the courage to enter the palace and give an interview.

“It would have been easier if one of the dynastic families (Dimbleby et al.) had done it!”

Mr Bashir also told Mr Setter that he was praised by staff for refusing to give interviews on the show to the then Prince of Wales, now the King.

He writes: “Since returning to the UK in 2015 and rejoining the BBC in 2016, senior staff in the Prince of Wales’s office have (surprisingly) declined all requests to discuss the interview. I have expressed my intentions.

“As I am sure you will understand, the words of the late Princess have been deployed to attack the surviving members of the royal family, particularly the Prince of Wales, which is something I never wanted to do. ”

Mr Bashir resigned as the BBC’s religion editor shortly before the publication of the report, which also criticized the BBC for its handling of complaints about his tactics.

The 3,000 emails released by the BBC on Tuesday have been heavily redacted.

Mr Webb said the emails showed the BBC was withholding important internal evidence about the interview investigation.

In one email, dated Oct. 19, 2019, a lawyer told a former Panorama editor that the company “is not releasing all internal investigation documents at this time.”

After the email was released, Mr Webb said: “The BBC has clearly acknowledged that the documents are being withheld. In my book, that’s a cover-up.

“And while it was clear at first glance that this material was highly relevant, the BBC assured the judge that it was completely unrelated.”

He added: “What lies beneath those thousands of edits is anyone’s guess.”

Mr Webb said the emails were heavily redacted and would have to be challenged again in court.

The BBC said: “Throughout this process we have taken our responsibility to comply with the court’s instructions extremely seriously.

“When necessary, we are making redactions in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.

“There is no evidence to support the allegation that the BBC acted in bad faith in 2020, and we maintain that this suggestion is simply false.”

It added: “Furthermore, far from covering up or attempting to cover up the issue, as has been said many times, the BBC has asked Lord Dyson to carry out an independent investigation, which will be published in 2021.” Announced.

“The BBC provided Lord Dyson’s inquiry with all relevant documents in its possession.

“Others involved in these events have also provided written material to Lord Dyson, details of which are set out in the report. This will be published in 2021 and the findings will be made available to the BBC in full. It was accepted.”

Mr Webb in 2021 requested to see emails that BBC managers had sent to each other about Mr Bashir over a two-month period in 2020.

The BBC revealed a large number of messages, later found to have totaled 3,288.

The company said these contained “irrelevant” or “legally privileged” information.

But in December, Mr Justice Brian Kennedy ordered the BBC to release him, saying its response to the original request had been “inconsistent, erroneous and unreliable”.

The judge added that the BBC’s response was “a cause for grave concern”.

In a statement at the time, the BBC acknowledged that it had made a mistake, adding that it had also apologized to Webb and the court.

A separate FOI request said the BBC spent £126,525 (excluding VAT) in external legal costs challenging the publication of the emails.

Mr Webb said he believed their publication was in the public interest and would show evidence that senior managers at the BBC had tried to “devise a strategy to completely cover up what could be called the Bashir scandal”.

He said it was “nonsense” that the BBC had spent so much time and money trying to prevent their release.

“And those who authorized payments to lawyers in this case must be held accountable.”

Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, who has supported Mr Webb’s investigation, said the integrity of those within the broadcaster was at stake.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 in December, he said: “At a time when this great national and international organization is undergoing retrenchment, the people at the BBC who are responsible for this are behind expensive lawyers. “It was hidden. And I think that’s despicable.”

Earl Spencer also said he approached BBC management in 2020 but was told Bashir was too unwell to speak.

“My suspicion is that they made up the story to keep Princess Diana from giving an interview at a time of particular interest, on the 25th anniversary.” said.

Bashir’s departure from the BBC comes after questions arose over how he secured an interview with Princess Diana. The interview, which was watched by more than 20 million people, was considered a big scoop for the BBC at the time.

Webb’s documentary examining Bashir’s methods aired in October 2020. The next day, it was revealed that Bashir was suffering from complications caused by the coronavirus.

The following month, Lord Dyson, a former senior judge, was appointed to lead an independent inquiry into the interview and how it was obtained. This study was reported on May 20, 2021.

Lord Dyson’s investigation found that Bashir had used deception to secure the interview and then lied to a BBC manager.

A graphic artist working for the BBC said Mr Bashir had asked him to create fake bank statements. These payments appear to have been made by the newspaper group to a former employee of Earl Spencer.

According to Dyson’s report, this was to gain the trust of Earl Spencer, who would introduce Bashir to Diana.

When questioned by BBC executives, Bashir admitted that his statements had been falsified, but repeatedly denied showing the documents to Earl Spencer.

The report said Bashir “continued to lie until he realized it was no longer sustainable.” It added: “This was a most reprehensible act and cast considerable doubt on his credibility in general.”

Mr Bashir previously said mocking the document was a “stupid thing” and regretted it, but said it had not influenced Princess Diana’s decision to be interviewed.

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