Full text of letter from Lord Patten to BBC staff

Lord Patten wrote to BBC staff today, telling them in the letter that he still believed the corporation was the greatest broadcaster in the world. Here is the full text:

Dear all,

It was with great regret that last night I accepted the resignation of George Entwistle as Director-General.

One of the reasons we appointed George was because he is an honourable man and his decision to stand down in the best interests of the BBC bears that out.

When I took the job of Chairman of the BBC Trust, I said that, while not perfect, at its best the BBC is the greatest broadcaster in the world.

I believe that today, just as I did then. The BBC is full of hugely talented and dedicated people making great programmes and finding innovative ways to bring them to audiences.

The vast majority of BBC staff have nothing whatsoever to do with this sorry episode and I regret that they are having to share in the pain.

The priority now is to address the very serious questions that still remain around the original decision not to pursue the initial Newsnight investigation, how last week's story went so horribly wrong and, most importantly, how the BBC's historic culture and behaviour allowed Jimmy Savile to get away with his vile criminal activity for so long.

We will decide what immediate action needs to be taken once Ken MacQuarrie's investigation into last week's Newsnight is complete. We will then look at what else needs to happen once the two independent inquiries have reported.

In the meantime, the Trustees have asked Tim Davie to stand in as Acting Director-General. I am sure that Tim will perform this role with authority and integrity, while we carry out the process of appointing a permanent successor as soon as possible.

Yours,

Lord Patten

Chairman, BBC Trust