Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, has called on the BBC's incoming boss, Matt Brittin, to fully investigate the Martin Bashir scandal. He urged the corporation to 'lance the boil' and shatter the 'conspiracy of silence' surrounding the controversial 1995 Panorama interview with Diana.

Demand for Transparency and Accountability

Earl Spencer emphasized the need for the BBC to appoint an official historian. This historian would be tasked with examining every document related to Bashir's deception and the subsequent cover-up by the BBC. He also renewed his call for Scotland Yard to investigate any potential criminality revealed in the process.

Bashir's Deceptive Tactics

Bashir used forged bank statements to gain access to Diana and tricked her with a series of lies. One of the lies included the claim that Prince William's watch had been bugged to record her conversations. Earl Spencer discussed these deceptions at the Althorp Literary Festival, held on his estate in Northamptonshire, with investigative journalist Andy Webb.

Call for Reinstatement of Official Historian

Earl Spencer backed calls by Webb for the BBC to reinstate its official historian, a position that has been vacant for over a decade. The BBC's official written history, detailed across six volumes, is believed to stop in 1987. Webb fought to obtain more than 10,000 documents from the corporation, albeit with over 3,000 redactions, but believes there is more evidence yet to be revealed.

The Infamous Panorama Interview

The Panorama interview was hailed as the scoop of a generation at the time. Diana did not shy away from Bashir's hard-hitting questions, going against the Palace's unspoken rule about remaining quiet. Earl Spencer described Bashir as a 'compulsive liar' and branded the interview 'the worst piece of journalism I've seen.' He also claimed there were 'five suspects' with senior jobs in the BBC who oversaw the cover-up of the scandal.

Prince William's Involvement

Meanwhile, Webb revealed that Prince William was among the first readers of his book, Dianarama, when it was published last year. Webb said: 'It was made very clear to me that this does matter, very much, to Prince William, very much indeed. He read almost the first copy of the book off the press and of course it would matter.'