Panorama

Victoria Derbyshire on covering the pandemic, serving the underserved and becoming an agony aunt

“For me, it’s a real issue,” she explains, “because I spend so much time with guests before I interview them making them feel comfortable, going through their story, just letting them know I’ll be there to look after them.”

Such compassion comes as no surprise from a broadcaster who has long used her platform to both sensitively question victims of injustice and forensically interrogate those responsible.

RTS London hear how to make the most out of music

Alex Jones and Matt Baker in The One Show (Credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Currently, he argued, this doesn’t always happen – with composers and programme-makers often failing to sing from the same song sheet.
 
Hexel recalled a quote from Rachel Portman, who won an Oscar for her score for the 1996 movie version of Jane Austen’s Emma. “Many good directors are bad at giving good direction to composers,” she said.
 

Watch: Steve Hewlett in conversation with Roger Bolton

Steve Hewlett is the presenter of Radio 4’s Media Show and was previously the editor of Panorama. In that role, he was responsible for some of the key scoops of the last 30 years, including the exclusive 1995 interview with Princess Diana watched by nearly 23 million people.

He reflected on his life and career at this Media Society event, held with support from the Royal Television Society at the BBC Radio Theatre.

With thanks to John Mair for producing the event and to the BBC for the clips.

Tony Hall: On a Rescue Mission

Tony Hall

For an insight into the day job of the BBC Director-General two years into his role, I pop into Tony Hall's plate-glass eyrie at New Broadcasting House. I arrive in the aftermath of one of the regular encyclicals that DGs dispense.

He's sung the praises of the BBC's place in a "thriving, free and competitive market", an alternative to what a colleague terms the "Joni Mitchell" school of heartstring-tugging about the Beeb's innate brilliance.