Controversy surrounding TV footage that purported to show the Queen storming out of a photo shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz has today forced the resignation of BBC One boss Peter Fincham.
The move follows an independent inquiry into the TV editing error which wrongly implied the Queen had walked out of the portrait session during the making of a BBC documentary.
The TV clips were shown out-of-sequence and suggested that the Queen was angry at comments by Liebovitz about what she was wearing.
Leibovitz is seen telling the Queen she will look better without her tiara – the trailer later cutting to the Queen telling her lady-in-waiting: ‘I’m not changing anything. I’ve had enough dressing like this, thank you very much.’
The BBC and production company RDF, who supplied the footage, apologised for the mistake which came to light when a trailer for the programme, called A Year With The Queen, was shown to journalists in July.
The BBC admitted ?serious mistakes? and that the corporation ?devolved too much responsibility to the production company?, according to BBC News online.
RDF Media’s chief creative officer Stephen Lambert has also resigned today, following publication of the damning report based on the findings of the inquiry.
In a statement released today, RDF said there was ‘never any question of the misleading sequence being included in the finished documentary’.
Captured at Buckingham Palace,Leibovitz’s portraits of the Queen were published earlier this year to mark her state visit to the United States (see AP 19 May 2007).
For the full story visit BBC News online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7029940.stm
For our previous stories about this drama click on the links below:
http://amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/bbc_orders_independent_inquiry_into_queen_portrait_mixup_news_130147.html
http://amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/agents_fury_over_leibovitz_press_coverage_news_129163.html
http://amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/queen_error_bbc_one_boss_speaks_out_news_129060.html
