The Lord Hall of Birkenhead | |
|---|---|
 Hall in 2021 | |
| 16thDirector-General of the BBC | |
| In office 2 April 2013 – 31 August 2020 | |
| Deputy | Anne Bulford |
| Preceded by | George Entwistle |
| Succeeded by | Tim Davie |
| President of theEuropean Broadcasting Union | |
| In office 1 January 2019 – 1 January 2021 | |
| Deputy | Delphine Ernotte |
| Preceded by | Jean-Paul Philippot |
| Succeeded by | Delphine Ernotte |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 22 March 2010 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anthony William Hall (1951-03-03)3 March 1951 (age 74) Birkenhead, Cheshire,[a] England |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | London, England |
| Alma mater | Keble College, Oxford |
| Profession |
|
Anthony William Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead (born 3 March 1951) is a Britishlife peer. He wasDirector-General of the BBC between April 2013 and August 2020, and chaired the board of trustees of theNational Gallery from September 2020[1] to May 2021.[2]
Hall wasDirector of News at theBBC between 1993 and 2001, andChief Executive of theRoyal Opera House inCovent Garden, London from 2001 until March 2013.[3] He was made a life peer and took his seat in theHouse of Lords as acrossbench member on 22 March 2010.[4] He took up the post of Director-General of the BBC on 2 April 2013,[5] and stepped down as Director-General on 31 August 2020, replaced byTim Davie.
An inquiry in 2021 found that Hall, when Director of News at the BBC, had carried out an inadequate investigation into the methods used byMartin Bashir for the BBC'sPanoramainterview withDiana, Princess of Wales.[6] He resigned as chairman of the National Gallery on 22 May 2021.[7]
Since he left the BBC, Hall has joined the Board of theNational Trust[8] and was elected to the Communications and Digital Committee of the House of Lords.[9]
In December 2023, theWoodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity, announced the appointment of Hall as the charity’s new Chair. He took up the role in June 2024 when the then Chair, Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, stepped down after eight years as Chair.[10]
It was announced in July 2024 that Hall would succeed Sir Patrick Vallance as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Trustees of theNatural History Museum, having originally been appointed to the Natural History Museum Board of Trustees by the Prime Minister in November 2023 .[11]
Anthony William Hall, the son of a bank manager, was born inBirkenhead,Wirral, on 3 March 1951 to Donald William Hall and Mary Joyce Hall.[12][13] He was educated at twodirect grant schools (now independent),King Edward's School, Birmingham, andBirkenhead School, before going toKeble College, Oxford,[14][15] where he readPhilosophy, Politics and Economics, graduating with anMA degree.
AfterOxford, Hall joined the BBC as a trainee in 1973, initially working at itsBelfast newsroom.[15][16] He later worked as producer onToday,The World at One,The World Tonight, andPM.[16] He became editor of theNine O'Clock News at the age of 34.[17]
In 1987 he was appointed the Editor of News and Current Affairs, and was appointed Director of BBC News and Current Affairs in 1990, combining TV and radio for the first time. He continued to lead BBC News until 2001.[18][19]
Among his career achievements are the launch ofBBC Parliament,BBC Radio 5 Live,BBC News 24, andBBC News Online.[16] In 1999 he applied unsuccessfully for the position ofDirector-General of the BBC,[20] but was later successful, being appointed as BBC Director-General on 22 November 2012,[21] and took office on 2 April 2013.[5][22][23]
On 25 March 2015, Hall decided not to renewTop Gear presenterJeremy Clarkson's BBC contract after an internal investigation found that Clarkson had assaulted the programme's producer. Hall and his wife received death threats which the BBC decided were "credible", and they were subsequently guarded by police. On 28 March,Scotland Yard confirmed that officers were investigating the threats.[24]
Shortly before leaving the BBC on 31 August 2020, Hall commented that the 2015 negotiations with the government overTV licences for the over 75s - whereby the government ended subsiding the BBC for free TV licences - had been "tense". Hall struck the deal despite warning that the government's proposals would be a "nuclear" option that could lead to the loss of many BBC services. He said that he had thought about resigning over the issue, before deciding to stay and seek to ameliorate the changes. Hall agreed with the interviewer,Amol Rajan, that there was a need to improve "diversity of thought" at the BBC, and was hopeful of 50/50 equal pay parity during 2020.[25]
On 20 January 2020, it was announced that Hall would leave his Director-General job in the summer, saying "If I followed my heart I would genuinely never want to leave." He spent seven years in the role.[26] Hall said it was better for a new person to lead the corporation through its mid-term review in 2022 andBBC Charter renewal in 2027.[27]
Hall was appointed Chief Executive of theRoyal Opera House in April 2001.[28] He set up ROH2, a department devoted to supporting new artists and developing new audiences, following which he set up new initiatives to widen access to the Royal Opera House – including big screen relays to locations across the UK:Paul Hamlyn matinées and other low-price ticket schemes.
In 2007, he oversaw the ROH's purchase ofOpus Arte,[29] a ballet and opera DVD/Blu-ray production and distribution company.[30] As a Royal Opera House subsidiary,Opus Arte has relaunched its website as an online classical music retailer, selling both digital and physical products from across all the major record labels.[31]
Between 2010 and 2011, Hall's salary increased from £165,000 to £205,000, making him the highest-paid Chief Executive of all UK charities.[32] His emoluments for management of the Royal Opera House exceeded £390,000 per annum in the years ending 29 August 2010 and 2011 respectively.[33]
Hall's appointment to become chair of the board of trustees of the National Gallery was announced in January 2020.[34] He took up the position on 1 September 2020 after standing down from his position at the BBC.[1] He resigned as National Gallery chairman on 22 May 2021 following an inquiry intoBBCPanorama'sPrincess Diana interview.[7]
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Hall was appointed inaugural chair of the industry-ledCreative & Cultural Skills (Sector Skills Councils), a post he held between 2004 and 2009.[citation needed]Sector Skills Councils introduced the first formal creative apprenticeships; won government approval to build state-of-the-art facilityThe Backstage Centre for backstage skills[35] located with the Royal Opera House's production park atHigh House Purfleet inThurrock,Essex,[citation needed] and maintain a careers advice and guidance website called "Creative Choices".[36][citation needed]
He served as chair of the Music and Dance Scheme Advisory Board, and led a Dance Review for theDepartment for Education and Skills resulting in an additional £5 million input towards dance education. He was a member of the Management Committee of the Clore Leadership Programme until 2011. He sat on the Culture and Creative Advisory Forum panel for theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport and was chair of theTheatre Royal Stratford East until 2009.
Hall has been a member of the Regeneration Through Heritage Steering Group, a board member for Race for Opportunity, a board member for Learndirect and Council member ofBrunel University. Until May 2000 he was chair of theRoyal Television Society. In April 2007, in the wake of the2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel, he was asked to lead an enquiry into theMOD's media strategy. Since 2008, he has served on the board of theBritish Council.[16]
In July 2009, at theMayor of London and HM Government's request, he set up andchaired a board directing theCultural Olympiad, and also joined theLondon Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Board.[37]
Hall has been a Trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation since 2011, and was appointed Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 in 2012,[16] a post he was obliged to relinquish upon becoming Director-General of theBBC.
On 29 June 2018, Hall was elected as the new President of theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU).[38]
After leaving the BBC in September 2020, it was announced that Hall would chair an independent company producing documentaries, HTYT Stories.[39]
In January 2022, he was appointed to chair the board of Frontline, a charity whose aim is "helping to keep children free from harm and supporting them to achieve their full potential..".[40]
In November 2023 he was appointed as the chairman of the board of theCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.[41]
In May 2024 it was announced that he would lead a new body to promote tourism in theLiverpool City Region.[42]
Life peer asBaron Hall of Birkenhead,of Birkenhead, in the County of Cheshire (created 19 March 2010)[43][44]_Ribbon.png)
CBE (2006)[45]In September 2009 Hall received anhonorary doctorate of literature (Hon DLit) fromGoldsmiths, University of London, and subsequently was elected anhonorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford. TheChartered Management Institute awarded him the 2010 Gold Medal Award for outstanding achievement.
City University elected him an honoraryvisiting fellow ofjournalism in 2012,[46] and he has been aliveryman of theWorshipful Company of Painter-Stainers since 1985. More recently, Hall received an honorary degree fromBirmingham City University in January 2017[47] and an honorary doctorate from City University in January 2018.
Hall has written:
In 1977, Hall married to Cynthia Lesley Hall (née Davis),[13] who was formerly headmistress of theSchool of St Helen and St Katharine and then ofWycombe Abbey, both girls' schools, and president of the Girls' Schools Association. They have a son and a daughter.[48][13]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director-General of the BBC 2013–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Hall of Birkenhead | Followed by |
