London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 05, 2025

Martin Bashir quits BBC before release of Diana interview inquiry’s report

Martin Bashir quits BBC before release of Diana interview inquiry’s report

Journalist steps down as religion editor on health grounds before publication of investigation
Martin Bashir has quit the BBC on health grounds before the publication of an investigation into his conduct in securing a 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. He has been on sick leave for several months.

The BBC’s deputy director of news, Jonathan Munro, told staff: “Martin Bashir has stepped down from his position as the BBC’s religion editor and is leaving the corporation. He let us know of his decision last month, just before being readmitted to hospital for another surgical procedure on his heart.

“Although he underwent major surgery toward the end of last year, he is facing some ongoing issues and has decided to focus on his health.”

Last year, following pressure from Diana’s family, the BBC director general, Tim Davie, commissioned an independent inquiry to look into how Bashir persuaded the royal to speak on camera about her marriage, and whether Bashir used fake documents to gain the trust of the family. This investigation has now finished and the report has been passed to the BBC for publication.

Panorama is also preparing to air a special programme investigating its original programme.

The interview made Bashir’s career, with tens of millions of viewers tuning in to watch Diana discuss her life with Prince Charles and see her make the infamous declaration that there were “three of us in this marriage”, in reference to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

However, there have always been questions about how Bashir persuaded the princess to speak on camera about the collapse of her relationship with the heir to the throne.

Matt Wiessler, a graphic designer who worked on BBC programmes, previously told the Guardian he was phoned by Bashir one evening in 1995 and asked to mock up some fake bank statements at short notice.

It is claimed Bashir then used the fake documents to convince Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, that the media were paying associates of the family for information, in a bid to win the trust of the family and secure a more revealing interview.

The BBC launched an internal investigation at the time, with then BBC News chief Tony Hall concluding that Bashir “wasn’t thinking” when he commissioned the graphic but was ultimately an “honest and honourable man”.

While Bashir went on to have a successful career, conducting major interviews with the likes of Michael Jackson, Wiessler found himself blacklisted by the corporation after being made the “fall guy” for mocking up the documents.

Hall later became the BBC director general and was in post when the broadcaster took Bashir on again as religion editor in 2016.

Interest in how Bashir secured the interview was prompted by 25th-anniversary coverage of the broadcast, including ITV and Channel 4 documentaries, which highlighted the role of the fake bank statements.

The BBC has said it holds a handwritten note from Diana stating that the documents played “no part in her decision to take part in the interview”.

However, the media attention and persistent lobbying from Earl Spencer persuaded Davie to launch an independent inquiry into the interview at the end of last year. Some BBC colleagues feel Bashir has been unfairly treated, given that he has already been cleared by one internal investigation.

The later investigation, which was welcomed by Prince William, was led by retired supreme court judge Lord Dyson. He considered how the BBC obtained the interview, whether the tactics were in keeping with the BBC’s standards at the time, and the extent to which Bashir’s tactics influenced Diana’s decision to give an interview.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×