Dyke tells of political pressure on the BBC

Tony Blair told Gavyn Davies, the former chairman of the BBC, that Alastair Campbell was "causing him political problems", it will be claimed tonight in a documentary by Greg Dyke, the corporation's former director general.

Tony Blair told Gavyn Davies, the former chairman of the BBC, that Alastair Campbell was "causing him political problems", it will be claimed tonight in a documentary by Greg Dyke, the corporation's former director general.

Mr Davies says the Prime Minister sought to distance himself from his then director of communications during a private call at the height of No 10's battle with BBC.

The revelation comes in a special Channel 4 programme made and presented by Mr Dyke, which deals with the events leading to his departure earlier this year.

He has led a concerted campaign of criticism against the BBC governors and Mr Blair in the run-up to the publication of his book, Inside Story, tomorrow.

Shown speaking from his former BBC office - which at the time the of filming had become merely a jumble of discarded furniture - Mr Dyke says: "I feel betrayed. We were taken to war on a false premise."

He lost his job eight months ago when he resigned in the fallout from the Hutton report into the death of the weapons inspector Dr David Kelly.

In the documentary, Mr Davies reveals that Mr Blair admitted that "Alastair was causing him political problems" because of his feud with the BBC. He also asserts that "the Prime Minister was feeling uncomfortable about the way he was behaving".

Mr Dyke says when he left he received emails from within and outside the BBC, but not all were supportive. One said simply: "Fuck off Dyke. I'm glad you've gone".