Myrie can be Beeb’s jewel in ceasefire with royals
HE IS the BBC’s hero in a hard hat, bringing us bulletins from Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
But TV bosses are hoping calm and collected Clive Myrie will be the repair bridge in damaged relations between the Palace and the broadcaster.
News anchor Myrie, who also fronts quiz show Mastermind, will present a BBC One documentary on the history of the Crown Jewels later this year, part of the Beeb’s plans to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
One insider said: “Clive has not been involved in any of the recent controversies and is seen as a very safe pair of hands. They are hoping it will help to draw a line under what has gone before.”
The Crown Jewels consist of 140 items and contain 23,000 precious stones. The film about them is being made by awardwinning independent company Atlantic Productions.
Methods
It is hoped that Myrie’s documentary will help to placate Prince William, who was last year furious with the BBC over its treatment of his mother. An inquiry by Lord Dyson showed the full extent of the fraudulent methods used by Martin Bashir to secure his bombshell interview with Princess Diana in 1995.
When the Dyson report was published in May, Prince William issued a scathing statement, saying: “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.” Other BBC projects to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee include a competition to find a new pudding, run by cake queen Dame Mary Berry.