BBC Management

Extended description: Thoughout his tenure as Director General, a number of programmes caused government outrage - Panorama: Maggie's Militant Tendency, tx Jan 84, which suggested a number of Tory MPs had had connections with the far-right; Real Lives: At the Edge of the Union: in Aug 1985, government pressure led to the BBC banning the programme which profiled and interviewed Martin McGuinness, a Sinn Fein politician; and a Panorama programme in 1986 about the US bombing of Libya caused a storm of accusations that the BBC had become anti-American. In 1987 police raided the headquarters of BBC Scotland in Glasgow, removing material for a programme in the Secret Society series, which looked at the secret Zircon reconnaissance satellite. Most of the series was eventually transmitted. Milne resigned in 1987 but it is generaly believed that he was asked to resign by the Chairman of the Board of Governors. Information: BBC stills accession number: 580008 Alasdair Milne was Director General of the BBC from 1982 to 1987. Before becoming DG Milne had a distinguised career in the BBC. His background was in current affairs and he was a founder producer of Tonight, a current affairs series which started in 1957, becoming its editor in 1961. Milne then went on to become Controller of BBC Scotland and Managing Director, Television. Original language summary: -