Princess Diana’s brother warned BBC bosses 17 years ago that disgraced reporter Martin Bashir was using underhanded tactics to land his bombastic Panorama interview – but was ignored, a newly unearthed document reveals.
A explosive letter released under freedom of information laws reveals that in 2005 – ten years after the infamous interview – Earl Spencer warned the BBC that he had a dossier detailing Bashir’s fraud.
The letter was addressed to a BBC producer, but most importantly, a copy was also sent to Mark Thompson, the corporation’s general manager at the time.
Princess Diana’s brother warned BBC bosses 17 years ago that disgraced reporter Martin Bashir was using underhanded tactics to land his bombshell interview – but was ignored
Amazingly, no one from the BBC responded to the warning and the true extent of Bashir’s wrongdoing remained hidden for another 15 years, until the Daily Mail revealed full details of the dossier.
In fact, just four months after receiving Earl Spencer’s letter, the BBC aired a smug documentary about Bashir’s blockbuster, hailing it as “a stunning piece of television”.
The Mail on Sunday understands the letter was not passed to Lord Dyson, the former Supreme Court Justice, who published a damning account of the scandal in May last year.
Earl Spencer (pictured) warned the BBC he has a dossier detailing Bashir’s fraud
A source at the corporation said it had not been found at the time of its independent investigation.
“It is amazing to learn that the BBC – 15 years before the scandal broke – knew perfectly well that Earl Spencer had a dossier of extremely compromising evidence and was more than willing to share it,” said Andy Webb, an investigative filmmaker , who helped expose the scandal Cover on the Bashir scandal.
“What is deeply disturbing is that this letter from Earl Spencer has been in the BBC files at all times. If they haven’t revealed it to Lord Dyson, what else could they be hiding?’
The revelation is the latest extraordinary twist in one of the BBC’s biggest scandals.
The letter was addressed to a BBC producer, but most importantly, a copy was also sent to Mark Thompson, the corporation’s general manager at the time
Bashir showed Earl Spencer fake bank statements to gain access to the princess and then tricked her by telling a series of lies, including lurid claims about Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, Prince Edward and senior courtiers.
BBC bosses knew soon after the Panorama interview aired in 1995 that there were questions about Bashir’s tactics, but he was acquitted after what Lord Dyson later called “a woefully ineffective” internal inquiry.
Lord Dyson said Lord Hall, then head of news and current affairs, and fellow BBC boss Anne Sloman made a “huge mistake” in not interviewing Earl Spencer about Bashir’s approaches.
Bashir left the BBC in 1999 but was rehired as a religion correspondent in 2016 despite allegations about the methods he used to obtain the Diana interview and concerns about his behavior at ITV and in America, where he had worked for ABC and NBC. He was later promoted to religion editor.
In July 2005, Arena, a BBC documentary series, was preparing an hour-long episode to mark the tenth anniversary of Bashir’s interview with Diana
In July 2005, Arena, a BBC documentary series, prepared an hour-long episode to mark the tenth anniversary of Bashir’s interview with Diana.
Samantha Peters, a producer at Arena, wrote to Earl Spencer to ask if he would agree to an interview.
He declined, saying: “Based on the documents I have in Althorp [his ancestral home] – including notes I made in my own hand at the time – which prove that Panorama’s role in this affair was anything but honest, I have to express my astonishment that the BBC should revisit this moment in their fine journalistic history would like to review.’
He made it clear that he also brought his concerns to Mr Thompson’s attention, adding: “I’m copying this letter to your general manager so that he can learn the truth about Panorama’s methods a decade ago if they interest him now. ‘
Bashir left the BBC in 1999 but was rehired as a religion correspondent in 2016 despite allegations about the methods he used to obtain the Diana interview and concerns about his behavior at ITV and in America, where he had worked for ABC and NBC
His warning was a clear reference to the bomb dossier he had kept showing how Bashir 32 had spread breathtaking slanders to win his interview, including fabricated claims that royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke was having an affair with Charles.
The Mail on Sunday understands no attempt was made to contact Earl Spencer.
Instead, in November 2005, the BBC aired its arena documentary and rerun the Panorama interview.
The program included footage of Bashir, who won a Bafta for the interview, and Steve Hewlett, former Panorama editor, calling the interview a “career moment.”
Earl Spencer’s warning was a clear reference to the bomb dossier he had kept showing how Bashir had leaked 32 stunning swabs to win his interview, including fabricated claims that royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke (centre) was having an affair had Karl
In 2021, BBC reporter John Ware claimed Mr Hewlett only agreed to be interviewed by Arena if they didn’t ask him for the bank statements.
Ware claimed Mr Hewlett, who died in 2017, was asked how Bashir met Diana, but his halting reply was not sent.
Ms Peters and Mr Thompson declined to comment last night.
The BBC said: “We have commissioned an independent, judge-led inquiry into the circumstances in which the interview was obtained, following Earl Spencer’s contact with the BBC in November 2020 with new evidence. We fully accepted Lord Dyson’s findings and apologized unreservedly on the day his report was published.’
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