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| 1 Jan 1927-1938 |
Sir John Reith |
Previously managing director of the British Broadcasting Company from 1922; knighted on appointment as DG; chairman of Imperial Airways 1938. |
| 19 Jul 1938-26 Jan 1942 |
Frederick W Ogilvie (1893-1949) |
Previously vice-chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast from 1934; knighted Jun 1942; Principal of Jesus College, Oxford 1944-1949. |
| 26 Jan 1942-6 Sep 1943 |
Sir Cecil Graves (1892-1957) and Robert W Foot (1889-1973) |
Graves was a BBC administrator 1926, Assistant Director of Programmes 1929, Director of the Empire Service Director 1932, Controller of Programmes 1935, Deputy Director-General 1938–1942.
Foot was previously a general manager at the Gas, Light and Coke Company, later chairman of the Mining Association. |
| 26 Jan 1943-31 Mar 1944 |
Robert W Foot |
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| 1944-Jun 1952 |
Sir William Haley (1901-1987) |
BBC editor-in-chief 1943; knighted 1946; editor of The Times 1952-1966; editor-in-chief Encyclopædia Britannica 1968-1969. |
| Jun 1952-1 Dec 1952 |
Sir Basil Nicholls (1899-1993) |
Acting DG (member of BBC Board of Management) |
| 1 Dec 1952-31 Dec 1959 |
Sir Ian Jacob (1899-1993) |
After military service, for which he was knighted 9146, Controller of BBC European/Overseas Service 1946-1951. |
| 1 Jan 1960-1 Apr 1969 |
(Sir) Hugh Carleton Greene (1910-1987) |
Former journalist; head of BBC German Service 1940, post-war reconstruction of German broadcasting; head of BBC East European Service; Director of Administration; Director of News and Current Affairs 1958. |
| 1 Apr 1969-1 Oct 1977 |
(Sir) Charles Curran(1921-1980) |
BBC Monitoring Service 1951; BBC Secretary; Director of External Broadcasting; subsequently managing director of Visnews television news agency. |
| 1 Oct 1977-31 Jul 1982 |
Sir Ian Trethowan (1922-1990) |
Journalist/newscaster at ITN, then BBC 1963; managing director BBC network radio 1970-1976; knighted 1980; subsequently chairman, Horserace Betting Levy Board and director Barclays Bank; chairman, Thames Television 1987-1990. |
| 31 Jul 1982-Jan 1987 |
Alasdair Milne (1930-2013) |
BBC graduate trainee entrant 1954; current affairs producer; forced resignation as DG. |
| Jan 1987-1992 |
Sir Michael Checkland (1936-) |
BBC senior cost accountant 1969; head of Central Finance Unit; BBC Television chief accountant 1971, financial controller 1976, Controller of Planning and Resource Management 1977; 1982; Deputy DG 1985; chairman, BBC Enterprises 1986; subsequently (inter alia) chairman of University of Brighton, chairman of Brighton Festival 1993-2002. |
| 1992-Jan 2000 |
Sir John Birt (1944-) |
Television producer, Granada Television, LWT; director of Programmes LWT 1982; BBC Deputy DG 1897; knighted 1998, life peerage 2000; subsequently prime-ministerial advisor, etc. |
| Jan 2000-29 Jan 2004 |
Greg Dyke (1947-) |
Television producer at LWT; Programme Director TVam 1983; Director of Programmes TVS; then at LWT and Pearson Television; chairman, Channel 5 1995. |
| 29 Jan 2004-21 May 2004 |
Mark Byford (1958-) |
Acting DG (Deputy DG); BBC Regional News producer 1981; Controller Regional Broadcasting 1991; Director Regional Broadcasting 1996; Director BBC World Service 1998; head, BBC Global News Division 2002; Deputy DG Jan 2004 |
| 22 Jun 2004-17 Sep 2012 |
Mark Thompson (1957-) |
BBC production trainee 1981; Head of Features 1992; Head of Factual Programmes 1994; Controller BBC Two 1996; Director National and Regional Broadcasting 1999; Director of Television 2000; Chief Executive Channel Four Television 2002; subsequently CEO New York Times Company. |
| 17 Sep 2012-10 Nov 2012 |
George Entwistle (1962-) |
BBC broadcast journalism trainee 1989; assistant producer 1990; various producer/editor appointments from 1993; Head, Television Current Affairs 2005; Controller of Knowledge Commissioning 2008; 2011 Director of BBC Vision. |
| 11 Nov 2012-2 Apr 2013 |
Tim Davie (1967) |
Acting DG (BBC Director of Audio and Music 2008). |
| 2 Apr 2013- |
Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead (1951-) |
BBC trainee 1973; producer/editor; Director of News and Current Affairs 1990; Director opf News 1993; Head of Current Affairs 1996; chief executive Royal Opera House 2001; life peerage 2010. |
Reference index