BFI announce Greg Dyke as new Chair

The BFI has announced that Greg Dyke will become its Chair in March, replacing renowned film director Anthony Minghella.

Greg Dyke was educated at Hayes Grammar School and later at York University where he read Politics. After an early career as a journalist, he started his broadcasting career in 1977 at London Weekend Television.

He became Editor-in-Chief of TV-am in 1983 and the following year Director of Programmes for TVS. He returned to LWT in 1987 as Director of Programmes; and from 1991 to 1994 he was Group Chief Executive of LWT (Holdings) plc. After the Granada take-over of LWT, Greg Dyke joined Pearson Television as Chief Executive. He guided the consortium which created Channel 5 and became its first Chairman. He became Director-General of the BBC in January 2000.

In his four years at the BBC he started four new digital television channels, five new digital radio channels, opened two new BBC regions, launched the BBC's interactive television services and helped create Freeview, a new free to air digital platform. He also made major commitments to expand the BBC's education services and to improve the cultural diversity of the workforce.

He left the BBC in January 2004 in controversial circumstances following the report of the Hutton Inquiry. Greg Dyke became the Chancellor of the University of York in November 2004. In May 2005 he became chairman of HIT, a production company specialising in programmes for the under-fives and in January 2006 he became Chairman of Brentford Football Club.

His autobiography entitled Greg Dyke: Inside Story was published in September 2004.

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