| Chairman of the BBC | |
|---|---|
| BBC Board BBC | |
| Abbreviation | COTBBC[citation needed] |
| Member of | BBC Board |
| Appointer | Monarch, on the advice of the Secretary of State. |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Royal charter |
| First holder | The Lord Gainford |
| Salary | £160,000 |
The Chairman of the BBC is the head of the BBC Board, responsible for maintaining the independence of the BBC and overseeing the functioning of the BBC to fulfil its mission.[1][2] The chairman leads the process for appointing the Director-General and can dismiss the Director-General.[3] The chairman of the BBC also acts as the corporation's most senior representative to Parliament and the government, including the devolved administrations.[4]
The chairman is formally appointed by the King-in-Council, on the advice of the Secretary of State for a four-year term.[3] The current chairman, Richard Sharp, succeeded Sir David Clementi in February 2021[5] and will leave post on 27 June 2023, when Dame Elan Closs Stephens will become acting chair.[6]
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Honour(s) | Prime Minister | Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chairman of the Board of Governors of the British Broadcasting Company[edit] | |||||||
| The Lord Gainford (1860–1943) |
18 December 1922 | 31 December 1926 | David Lloyd George | George V r. 1910–1936 | |||
| Bonar Law | |||||||
| Stanley Baldwin | |||||||
| Ramsay MacDonald | |||||||
| Stanley Baldwin | |||||||
Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC[edit] | |||||||
| The Earl of Clarendon (1877–1955) |
1 January 1927 | 1930 | Stanley Baldwin | George V r. 1910–1936 | |||
| Ramsay MacDonald | |||||||
| John Henry Whitley (1866–1935) |
1930 | 3 February 1935 (Died in Office) |
|||||
| The Viscount Bridgeman (1864–1935) |
1935 | 14 August 1935 (Died in Office) |
|||||
| Stanley Baldwin | |||||||
| Ronald Collet Norman (1873–1963) |
1935 | 1939 | |||||
| Neville Chamberlain | Edward VIII r. 1936 | ||||||
| George VI r. 1936–1952 | |||||||
| Allan Powell (1876–1948) |
1939 | 1946 | |||||
| Winston Churchill | |||||||
| Clement Attlee | |||||||
| The Lord Inman (1892–1979) |
1947 | 1947 | |||||
| The Lord Simon of Wythenshawe (1879–1960) |
1947 | 1952 | |||||
| Winston Churchill | Elizabeth II r. 1952–2022 | ||||||
| Alexander Cadogan (1884–1968) |
1952 | 1957 | |||||
| Anthony Eden | |||||||
| Harold Macmillan | |||||||
| Arthur fforde (1900–1985) |
1957 | 1964 | |||||
| Alec Douglas-Home | |||||||
| The Lord Normanbrook (1902–1967) |
1964 | 15 June 1967 (Died in Office) |
Harold Wilson | ||||
| The Lord Hill of Luton (1904–1989) |
1967 | 1972 | |||||
| Edward Heath | |||||||
| Michael Swann (1920–1980) |
1973 | 1980 | Baron Swann for Life in 1981 | ||||
| Harold Wilson | |||||||
| James Callaghan | |||||||
| Margaret Thatcher | |||||||
| George Howard (1920–1984) |
1980 | 1983 | Baron Howard of Henderskelfe for Life in 1981 | ||||
| Stuart Young (1934–1986) |
1983 | 29 August 1986 (Died in Office) |
|||||
| Marmaduke Hussey (1923–2006) |
1986 | 1996 | Baron Hussey of North Bradley for Life in 1996 | ||||
| John Major | |||||||
| Christopher Bland (1938–2017) |
1 April 1996 | 30 September 2001 | |||||
| Tony Blair | |||||||
| Gavyn Davies (1950–) |
1 October 2001 | 28 January 2004 | |||||
| The Lord Ryder of Wensum (1949–) |
28 January 2004 | 17 May 2004 | |||||
| Michael Grade (1943–) |
17 May 2004 | 28 November 2006 | Baron Grade of Yarmouth for Life in 2011 | ||||
| Anthony Salz (1950–) |
28 November 2006 | 31 December 2006 | Knighted in 2013 | ||||
Chairman of the BBC Trust[edit] | |||||||
| Chitra Bharucha (1945–) |
1 January 2007 | 30 April 2007 | Tony Blair | Elizabeth II r. 1952–2022 | |||
| Sir Michael Lyons (1949–) |
1 May 2007 | 30 April 2011 | |||||
| Gordon Brown | |||||||
| David Cameron | |||||||
| The Lord Patten of Barnes (1944–) |
1 May 2011 | 6 May 2014 | |||||
| Diane Coyle (1961–) |
6 May 2014 | 8 October 2014 | |||||
| Rona Fairhead (1961–) |
9 October 2014 | 2 April 2017 | Baroness Fairhead for Life in 2017 | ||||
| Theresa May | |||||||
Chairman of the BBC Board[edit] | |||||||
| Sir David Clementi (1949–) |
16 February 2017[7][8] | 15 February 2021[8] | Knighted in 2004 | Theresa May | Elizabeth II r. 1952–2022 | ||
| Boris Johnson | |||||||
| Richard Sharp (1956–) |
16 February 2021[9] | Present (Expected to leave office on 27 June 2023)[a][10][11] |
|||||
| Liz Truss | |||||||
| Charles III r. 2022–present | |||||||
| Rishi Sunak | |||||||
| Dame Elan Closs Stephens
(1949-) (Expected to assume office as of 27th June 2023)Dame Elan Closs Stephens |
27th June 2023 (Expected Start Date) | Expected to stay in role for 12 months or less | Knighted as a Dame  | Rishi Sunak | Charles 111
r. 2022-Present |
||
