‘Teflon Terry’ to take the reins as C4 chairman
ABBEY National chairman Sir Terry Burns is expected to be the new chairman of state-owned Channel 4, with Ofcom set to make an announcement imminently.
The former permanent secretary to the Treasury is understood to be the watchdog’s choice to replace Luke Johnson, who steps down in January.
Burns is also said to be Whitehall’s favourite for the role, with other contenders thought to be former ITV chief Richard Eyre and Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli.
In 2005, “Teflon Terry” – a nickname deriving from his track record of shrugging off controversy such as the pound’s humiliating exit from the european exchange rate mechanism – carried out a review of the BBC’s role for the then culture secretary Tessa Jowell.
His report recommended replacing the BBC board of governors with a public service broadcasting (PSB) commission and “top-slicing” the BBC.