BBC delays Panorama programme on Martin Bashir’s Princess Diana interview over ‘duty of care issue’

Explosive 1995 broadcast saw Diana famously saying ‘there were three of us in this marriage’

The BBC has delayed the broadcast of a Panorama investigation into Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana.

The programme was expected to air on BBC One on Monday (17 May) but has been postponed due to a “significant duty of care issue”, according to the broadcaster.

A new broadcast date has not yet been confirmed.

Bashir, who was the BBC News religion editor, left the corporation earlier this week on health grounds.

He has been seriously unwell with Covid-19 related complications.

It comes shortly after Lord Dyson’s investigation concluded into how Bashir landed his interview, with a BBC spokesman saying the report would be published “very soon”.

The former master of the rolls and head of civil justice was appointed to look into the circumstances surrounding the explosive broadcast, which famously featured Diana saying: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

Her son, Prince William, welcomed the launch of the investigation late last year, saying it “should help establish the truth behind the actions” that led to the programme.

His brother Prince Harry reportedly also supported the inquiry.

It was launched after Diana’s brother Earl Spencer alleged Bashir showed him fake financial documents relating to his sister’s former private secretary Patrick Jephson, and another former royal household member, and told outlandish and untrue stories about the royal family to gain access to the princess.

Lord Dyson has been considering if the steps taken by the BBC and Bashir were appropriate and to what extent those actions influenced Diana’s decision to give an interview.

Additional reporting by PA