Bashirgate

Robi_uk · 21 May 2021 at 11:05

I think they should just get rid of the BBC license fee, let people decide if they want to watch Eastenders.

VincentHanna · 21 May 2021 at 11:19

Robi_uk said:
I think they should just get rid of the BBC license fee, let people decide if they want to watch Eastenders.

It pays for a bit more than that, funnily enough.

ttaskmaster · 21 May 2021 at 11:23

RxR said:
Greta, is that you?

Only on weekends, darling!

Nasher · 21 May 2021 at 11:42

VincentHanna said:
It pays for a bit more than that, funnily enough.

Yea it pays for criminal coverups and Gary Lineker.

BowdonUK · 21 May 2021 at 12:05

I'd like to see Martin Bashir have to answer some questions.

Hades · 21 May 2021 at 12:10

Is anyone else eagerly watching what's unfolding with the BBC and Alex Belfield?

dl8860 · 21 May 2021 at 12:21

They just said on radio 2 that apparently Diana wrote a letter absolving Bashir, saying that she never saw any bank statements and she was completely happy about the interview and didn't regret it.

FortuitousFluke · 21 May 2021 at 12:56

dl8860 said:
They just said on radio 2 that apparently Diana wrote a letter absolving Bashir, saying that she never saw any bank statements and she was completely happy about the interview and didn't regret it.

My understanding is that the bank statements were actually shown to her brother in order to get the access to Diana, I could be wrong though.

dowie · 21 May 2021 at 12:57

Seems he's been full of dirty tricks when he tried to secure interviews, told a big fat porky to secure the Whako Jacko interview:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/martin-bashirs-dirty-tricks-open-secret-yet-bbc-tolerated/

Now more details are coming out about Bashir’s methods. It’s claimed he landed the Jackson interview by promising him that he would plan a trip for Jackson to Africa to visit children with Aids, accompanied by Kofi Annan, the then UN Secretary-General: when this was put to him in a California court, he refused to answer. He seems to have manipulated George Best, the footballer, and his widow and to have exploited them when Best, raddled by alcoholism, was in a vulnerable state towards the end of his life.

When working for the BBC in 1991, Bashir took away the bloodstained clothes of a little girl murdered in the “babes in the wood” killings in Sussex, promising her mother he would have them DNA tested. She never saw the clothes again, and when she demanded them back in 2003, Bashir claimed never to have met her. In 1999, he secured an interview with the five suspects in the Stephen Lawrence murder case, who were rewarded with a two-week holiday in a Scottish farmhouse. He is also accused of misleading the father of a troubled mathematics prodigy in order to secure an interview with her.

dl8860 said:
They just said on radio 2 that apparently Diana wrote a letter absolving Bashir, saying that she never saw any bank statements and she was completely happy about the interview and didn't regret it.

That's old news from last November. He showed them to her brother in order to secure the interview.

Blackjack Davy · 21 May 2021 at 13:07

What I find shocking is they new about it for a long time but said nothing/covered it up. The panorama programme was postponed from a few weeks ago so he could resign first presumably so he didn't have to answer any awkward questions as a BBC employee so they were still covering for him.

Uther · 21 May 2021 at 13:12

Now he's pulled the old 'retired due to ill health' trick I wonder if anything will happen to him.

Demon · 21 May 2021 at 13:13

I wondered why Bashir stuff was popping up in youtube feeds, however it's pretty much normal scummy journalism, right next to the videos' around Diana was the CH4 Guru-Murphy crass attempt to hijack a screening of Age of Ultron to interview Robert Downey Jr, and rather than ask about the film went straight full on about his past and all the issues etc, I'm not a fan of RDJ but he did handle him well and eventually walks off when he realises Bashir is just hell bent on getting a rise out of him etc..

The industry needs sorting out..

Robi_uk · 21 May 2021 at 13:13

VincentHanna said:
It pays for a bit more than that, funnily enough.

Apologies my joke wasn't funny :O

On a serious note though, other then Dragons Den I don't really watch anything on there, listen to any bbc radio, go to there website etc. In terms of content I am getting better value for money from Netflix and Disney at probably similar price.

BowdonUK · 21 May 2021 at 13:15

Hades said:
Is anyone else eagerly watching what's unfolding with the BBC and Alex Belfield?

I have.

It shows the utter corruption at the BBC and how they worked the 'old boys' system with the police.

I'm also disappointed in the lack of internal accountability the police had when their own officer was acting like there was active bail conditions when the judge had already thrown the request out. Then when they dragged him back to court again the case was immediately thrown out as they have brought no new evidence. This action was a waste of public money and time that the police could have been doing other things.

These two organisations are public bodies, we the people are paying for them. The bad apples are being allowed to drag both their reputations down.

These recent events need to be a serious wake up call. Things need to change.

One More Solo · 21 May 2021 at 13:48

This is appalling by the BBC, but also smacks of the royals trying to absolve themselves of any guilt by rounding on a common enemy. It’s like someone trying to break up a domestic and getting it from both sides.

Reality|Bites · 21 May 2021 at 17:25

not sure if it's been asked yet but, why is this a thing now? it was years ago.

SexyGreyFox · 21 May 2021 at 17:34

Reality|Bites said:
not sure if it's been asked yet but, why is this a thing now? it was years ago.

because there has been an Inquiry after accusations and Bashir and the BBC have been found to be very naughty

VincentHanna · 21 May 2021 at 18:18

Demon said:
I wondered why Bashir stuff was popping up in youtube feeds, however it's pretty much normal scummy journalism, right next to the videos' around Diana was the CH4 Guru-Murphy crass attempt to hijack a screening of Age of Ultron to interview Robert Downey Jr, and rather than ask about the film went straight full on about his past and all the issues etc, I'm not a fan of RDJ but he did handle him well and eventually walks off when he realises Bashir is just hell bent on getting a rise out of him etc..

The industry needs sorting out..

Those are two different journalists

Demon · 22 May 2021 at 07:59

VincentHanna said:
Those are two different journalists

Lol, complete typo, I started the comparison with the correct journo (Guru Murphy) and mentioned bashing towards the end.. good spot!

I was just surprised how often journos do scummy stuff, The Diana one is bad enough but they have no qualms about hijacking anything to just get headlines and drag up painful stuff for the ratings...

JRS · 22 May 2021 at 08:18

The hypocrisy of the tabloid press with this one is staggering even by their low, low standards.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1395999329920356353