Former BBC boss Lord Hall made chairman of Natural History Museum
Lord Hall has been named chairman of the Natural History Museum in a first major appointment since quitting a previous post over his involvement in the Martin Bashir scandal.
He was appointed chairman of the National Gallery in 2020, but resigned in 2021 amid severe criticism of his handling of Bashir’s 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.
Lord Hall has now been chosen to take over from Sir Patrick Vallance as chairman of the Natural History Museum.
The appointment was made by the board, and endorsed by the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Lord Hall said following the appointment that the Natural History Museum was “one of the great museums of the world”.
The former producer and editor spent decades at the BBC, and rose to the position of director-general in 2013.
He left the corporation in 2020, and took up a role as chairman of the National Gallery, but swiftly faced pressure to “fall on his sword” after his handling of disgraced journalist Bashir came to light.
In 2021, an independent inquiry led by Lord Dyson found that Bashir used deception to secure his 1995 interview with Diana on Panorama.
This included mocking up bank statements purporting to show payments made to individuals in return for them, maintaining surveillance of Diana, which Bashir used to gain the confidence of her brother, Charles Spencer.
Lord Hall was director of news when the interview took place, and sent Bashir a congratulatory note saying: “You should be very proud of your scoop.”
In 1996, Lord Hall oversaw an internal investigation into the interview which found that Bashir’s journalistic approach was “absolutely straight and fair”.
These failings led to criticism of Lord Hall, and following Lord Dyson’s 2021 report, he resigned from the National Gallery, saying: “My continuing in the role would be a distraction to an institution I care deeply about.”
He has since taken up roles as the chairman of Frontline, a children’s charity, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Following the departure of former chairman Sir Patrick, who was appointed a Minister of State for Science, Lord Hall was chosen to fill the role.
Dr Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said, “We are delighted that Lord Hall has agreed to become our next Chair.
“His unparalleled experience at the helm of high-profile organisations defined by their public purpose makes him the ideal person to lead our Board of Trustees.”