Letter: Portrait of Birt

Monday 20 December 1999 00:02 GMT

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Sir: Pandora (15 December) has got it wrong about Sir John Birt's portrait. Since the days of Lord Reith, the BBC has commissioned portraits of its outgoing Director-General. John Birt is no exception. It is the BBC, not the subject, who commissions these works and all the Director-General had to do with it was to be painted. The cost is considerably less than the figure you quoted and earlier commissions have proved to be very good investments.

CHRISTOPHER GRAHAM

Secretary

BBC, London W1

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