The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has confirmed that TV exec Samir Shah is the culture secretary’s preferred candidate to replace Richard Sharp as BBC chair.
The 71-year-old, who owns Juniper TV, will appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny. No date for the session has been set yet.
Shah’s new role will be worth £160,000 per year for three to four days per week, working to uphold the BBC’s independence and ensure it fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain.
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said: “He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scrutiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.
“His knowledge of the BBC and his belief in its role as a national broadcaster alongside his extensive work to promote diversity in broadcasting will be invaluable in helping to ensure that the BBC reflects, represents and serves communities across the whole of the UK.”
Shah said: “The BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power,” he added.
“If I am able to put what skills, experience, and understanding of public service broadcasting I have built up during my career to help this brilliant organisation meet the complex and diverse challenges it faces over the coming years, it would be an honour.”
He added that the BBC has a “unique duty” to reach audiences across the country and said he will do all he can to ensure it fulfils this aim.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We welcome the announcement that Samir Shah has been selected as the Government’s preferred candidate to take up the role of BBC chair and look forward to him joining the board once the formal process has been completed.”
Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said she hopes the announcement will provide the BBC with some stability after a tumultuous period.
“The BBC will need strong leadership and a chair and board that is prepared to argue for sustainable funding to maintain a world class service that underpins the success of the wider UK creative industries,” she added.
“The BBC’s highly-skilled and dedicated workforce are critical to this success. Bectu members have faced constant uncertainty through a plethora of restructures and proposals; we hope the new chair will actively engage with the BBC unions to ensure the workforce’s needs and concerns are properly heard.”
No recommendation can be made to the privy council and the King for approval until the pre-appointment hearing is held and a report published by the select committee.
His appointment comes at a challenging time for the corporation, whose future funding is set to be reviewed. On Monday, Frazer said the licence fee is unlikely to rise at the rate of inflation, meaning the BBC will not get the big increase in income it had been promised.
This story first appeared on Screen’s sister site Broadcast.
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