Last year, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the notorious BBC1 Panorama interview with Princess Diana, the BBC’s three terrestrial rivals all broadcast documentaries about the programme. They raised questions about the dubious methods of Panorama reporter Martin Bashir, reviving allegations about him that had first been reported in 1996.
Bashir’s interview with Diana was broadcast on 20th November 1995. Diana’s criticism of Camilla Parker-Bowles provided the key soundbite (“there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”), though her comments about Prince Charles’s accession were even more remarkable. Asked whether their son William should succeed the Queen instead of Charles, she replied: “My wish is that my husband finds peace of mind. And from that follows other things, yes.”
Bashir has never explained how he gained Diana’s cooperation, though it has since become clear that he used forged documents and outlandish conspiracy theories to gain the trust of Diana and her brother, Charles Spencer. The Mail on Sunday, on 7th April 1996, first reported that Bashir had commissioned graphic designer Matt Wiessler to create fake bank statements that he presented to Spencer. After the Mail’s scoop was published, the BBC falsely claimed that the bank statements had no connection to the Diana interview.
It wasn’t until last year that investigations into Bashir were reopened. Documentary maker Andy Webb made Freedom of Information requests to the BBC, asking for copies of internal correspondence relating to Diana and Bashir. He sent his findings to Spencer, who gave a series of interviews to the Daily Mail (published on 3rd, 4th, and 7th November 2020), revealing how Bashir’s gaslighting had persuaded Diana to agree to appear on Panorama.
In his Mail interviews, Spencer called for an inquiry into the BBC’s coverup of Bashir’s deception. That inquiry, commissioned by the BBC and led by former Supreme Court justice John Dyson, published its report yesterday. Dyson describes Bashir as “unreliable and, in some cases, dishonest”. He also criticises the BBC’s internal investigations into Bashir as “woefully ineffective”, as BBC management did not attempt to corroborate Bashir’s denials and did not make its findings public. The BBC demonstrated greater transparency yesterday, with a new Panorama programme about Dyson’s findings.
Yesterday’s Panorama episode — Princess Diana, Martin Bashir and the BBC — marked the BBC’s first public criticism of Bashir, and it pulled no punches: “Martin Bashir spun a web of elaborate lies... Martin Bashir’s reputation lies in ruins”. (And that was before the opening titles.) The programme also featured Spencer’s first TV interview about the scandal.
Bashir’s interview with Diana was broadcast on 20th November 1995. Diana’s criticism of Camilla Parker-Bowles provided the key soundbite (“there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”), though her comments about Prince Charles’s accession were even more remarkable. Asked whether their son William should succeed the Queen instead of Charles, she replied: “My wish is that my husband finds peace of mind. And from that follows other things, yes.”
Bashir has never explained how he gained Diana’s cooperation, though it has since become clear that he used forged documents and outlandish conspiracy theories to gain the trust of Diana and her brother, Charles Spencer. The Mail on Sunday, on 7th April 1996, first reported that Bashir had commissioned graphic designer Matt Wiessler to create fake bank statements that he presented to Spencer. After the Mail’s scoop was published, the BBC falsely claimed that the bank statements had no connection to the Diana interview.
It wasn’t until last year that investigations into Bashir were reopened. Documentary maker Andy Webb made Freedom of Information requests to the BBC, asking for copies of internal correspondence relating to Diana and Bashir. He sent his findings to Spencer, who gave a series of interviews to the Daily Mail (published on 3rd, 4th, and 7th November 2020), revealing how Bashir’s gaslighting had persuaded Diana to agree to appear on Panorama.
In his Mail interviews, Spencer called for an inquiry into the BBC’s coverup of Bashir’s deception. That inquiry, commissioned by the BBC and led by former Supreme Court justice John Dyson, published its report yesterday. Dyson describes Bashir as “unreliable and, in some cases, dishonest”. He also criticises the BBC’s internal investigations into Bashir as “woefully ineffective”, as BBC management did not attempt to corroborate Bashir’s denials and did not make its findings public. The BBC demonstrated greater transparency yesterday, with a new Panorama programme about Dyson’s findings.
Yesterday’s Panorama episode — Princess Diana, Martin Bashir and the BBC — marked the BBC’s first public criticism of Bashir, and it pulled no punches: “Martin Bashir spun a web of elaborate lies... Martin Bashir’s reputation lies in ruins”. (And that was before the opening titles.) The programme also featured Spencer’s first TV interview about the scandal.
Of the three documentaries on Bashir broadcast last year, Webb’s programme for Channel 4 was the least interesting. (The FoI documents he requested had been released too late to be included.) Webb has now made a follow-up, The Diana Interview: The Truth Behind the Scandal, which was shown on Channel 4 this evening.
But this second Channel 4 programme was largely a recap of the events covered in last year’s documentary. It’s ironic that yesterday’s Panorama episode was the best exposé of the 1995 Panorama interview.
But this second Channel 4 programme was largely a recap of the events covered in last year’s documentary. It’s ironic that yesterday’s Panorama episode was the best exposé of the 1995 Panorama interview.
