BBC vet David Dimbleby denies claims that Martin Bashir bullied Princess Diana into infamous interview
LONDON, UK: Princess Diana was “not bullied” into giving Martin Bashir interview and the BBC should overrule the objections by Prince William, says 83-year-old veteran BBC presenter, David Dimbleby, whose series titled 'In Days That Shook the BBC with David Dimbleby,' will focus on major controversies that have affected the BBC and its viewers over the decades.
Ahead of the broadcaster’s 100-year anniversary on October 18, Dimbleby said in an interview with Radio Times that BBC denied his request to use clips from the 55-minute ‘Panorama’ interview, broadcaster's flagship investigative news program, in his new series that took place on November 20, 1995, in which Diana discussed her relationship with Prince Charles and the reasons for their separation, according to Yahoo! He said, "Showing the Diana interview is the one argument that I lost. My view – and I put it forcefully and regularly – was that I didn’t want to show the interview as such, although I believe it has historical validity, but that it underlined the BBC’s independence. I understand Prince William’s objections and the problem with how the interview was achieved, but I don’t believe Diana was coerced into giving it. She clearly wants to say her part, she was not bullied or hectored into it. The clips show that what she was saying was genuinely meant."
READ MORE
Why Princess Diana's death conspiracy theories refuse to fade even 25 years later
Inquiry led by Lord Dyson
Lord Dyson was appointed to look into Martin Bashir's interview with Princess Diana by the BBC on November 18, 2020. At that time, Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, said, “The BBC is determined to get to the truth about these events and that is why we have commissioned an independent investigation. Formerly Master of the Rolls and a Justice of the Supreme Court, Lord Dyson is an eminent and highly respected figure who will lead a thorough process," reported The Sun.
Dyson examined documents and records and interviewed all the people involved in the making of the program. And concluded that the broadcaster had covered up Bashir’s “deceitful behavior” for making a headline-making interview with Diana and “fell short of high standards of integrity and transparency,” as per Yahoo!
According to Deadline, in Dyson’s 127-page report, he wrote that Bashir “commissioned fake bank statements” that helped him secure access to Diana through her brother, Charles Spencer. Dyson further added that Bashir "deceived and induced him [Spencer] to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana." "This behavior was in serious breach of the 1993 edition of the BBC’s Producer Guidelines on straight dealing,” he said.