Biographies

BBC Director-General

Mark Thompson was appointed Director-General of the BBC in May 2004 and is responsible for the Corporation's services across television, radio and online and for a global workforce of 20,000 that provides over 400,000 hours of content each year.

Since his appointment Mark has re-shaped the BBC to meet the challenge of the digital age, ensuring it remains a leading innovator with the launch of services such as the domestic and global BBC iPlayer, while at the same time making the Corporation more efficient and offering greater value for money.

In the summer of 2009 Mark announced a review of the BBC's strategy, looking at how the organisation could best continue to serve audiences and deliver the highest quality content in the face of advances in technology and a rapidly changing media landscape.

In October 2010, he agreed a new licence fee settlement which will deliver stable funding until 2016/17. Following the agreement of this new settlement, Mark launched Delivering Quality First (DQF) to deliver 16 per cent savings and 4 per cent reinvestment over the four years to the end of the Charter Period in order to meet the Corporation's new obligations, as well as the editorial priorities which are at the heart of the BBC mission.

In August 2010 Mark delivered the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the MediaGuardian International Television Festival.

Throughout his tenure, Mark has been committed to spreading the benefits of the BBC across the whole of the UK to better reflect licence fee payers, overseeing the construction of a world class digital production centre in Pacific Quay, Glasgow, and spearheading the biggest ever initiative to support broadcasting outside London. The move to BBC North started in May 2011. The new, world-class base at MediaCityUK, Salford, will be the new home for the BBC in the North of England, and help foster a creative community together with other private and public organisations.

He has overseen the successful launch jointly with ITV of Freesat, as well as the BBC's involvement in YouView, a joint venture with ITV, Channel 4, Arqiva, TalkTalk, and Five that will offer subscription-free digital TV and the UK's leading video on-demand services.

Mark joined the BBC in 1979 as a production trainee. He helped launch Watchdog and Breakfast Time, was an output editor on Newsnight, and was appointed Editor of the Nine O'Clock News in 1988 and of Panorama in 1990.

As Controller of BBC Two from 1996 to 1998, he saw the channel win acclaim for strong programming such as Our Mutual Friend, The Royle Family and Storyville. He was the BBC's Director of National and Regional Broadcasting from 1999 to 2000. In 2000, he became the Director of Television.

Mark was Chief Executive of Channel 4 from 2002 to 2004.

Mark was educated at Stonyhurst College and Merton College, Oxford.