The new BBC boss has said he sought advice from former prime minister Gordon Brown before taking on the job which his friends have described as ‘thankless’.
Matt Brittin was confirmed as the corporation’s new director-general in March, taking over from Tim Davie, who resigned after a string of successive controversies.
The former president of Google in Europe arrived at the BBC with no broadcasting experience, but has spent the past weeks immersing himself in its offices across the country.
Mr Brittin, 57, left Google last year after 18 years at the tech giant, the last 10 as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Outgoing boss Tim Davie resigned after widespread criticism over a misleading Panorama edit of a Donald Trump speech.
It led the US President to launch a $10 billion lawsuit over the editing of his speech before riots at the Capitol shown in a Panorama documentary last year.
His final year in charge also saw the sackings of high-profile presenters including MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode and Radio 2 host Scott Mills.
As Brittin prepares to take over the reins, it has been revealed that he spoke to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown for advice.
Former Google executive Matt Brittin was appointed the BBC’s new director-general earlier this year
One of Brittin’s first tasks will concern the renewal of the BBC Royal charter, the agreement with the government that defines the corporation’s role and governance.
The corporation needs to find up to £600 million in savings as it is forced to reduce costs by 15 per cent.
He will also need to appoint a deputy director-general, which will be an internal hire.
Current acting director-general, Rhodri Talfan Davies, is expected to get the nod and is expected to oversee complaints and monitor some of the riskier programs.
This could create an opportunity for Brittin to act as more of a chief executive, focusing on strategy, technology and government relations.
The delegation of some of the key roles could be key as BBC insiders told The Times that they felt Davie was stretched too thin during his time at the helm.
A former BBC News boss said: ‘Tim was a good CEO but he was trying to do too much, and where he ended up falling short was as editor-in-chief. He didn’t have good enough people below him, and responses to crises were always too slow.
‘When Mark Thompson was DG [between 2004 and 2012], he had Mark Byford as a very successful deputy, who did much of the fire-fighting.’
After stepping down from the tech giant, Brittin had announced plans to take what he called a ‘mini gap year’.
He said at the time: ‘I hope to apply what I’ve learnt about technology and leadership to help people make the most of this wave of innovation in education, business, science and society – from different vantage points.’
The decision to appoint someone from the world of tech with no direct television experience represents a significant break with tradition for the BBC.
He was part of the British rowing team at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and could expect a financial package comparable to the £540,000 to £544,999 earned by Mr Davie.
For a man who once admitted he didn’t know how much he was paid, a role leading a public service broadcaster that publishes its managers’ salaries could be perfect.
In 2016, Mr Brittin told MPs on the public accounts committee that he had no idea how much he was paid – while being questioned about a tax deal between HMRC and Google.
Then, in February 2025, after leaving Google Mr Brittin joined Guardian Media Group’s board as a non-executive director.
Davie is said to have spoken favourably about Mr Brittin in the past, though there are some who have reservations about appointing a tech boss to the top job at a content company.
Mr Brittin joined Sir Kier Starmer in asking former Prime Minister Gordon Brown for advice
Gordon Brown, meanwhile, is already ruffling feathers inside number 10 after being nicknamed ‘the real Deputy Prime Minister’ by Sir Keir Starmer’s inner circle.
After giving his advice to Mr Brittin, he was sought out by the Prime Minister to help him fight fires after a brutal night of local elections.
Mr Brown’s appointment to an unpaid, part-time advisory role last weekend was part of Sir Keir’s last-ditch attempt to save his job – and the 75-year-old New Labour titan is looking to assert himself now he is back, insiders say.
The former Prime Minister’s appointment last week as Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation was met with anger among some Labour MPs.
Many in the parliamentary party were furious that sitting MPs were overlooked by Sir Keir in favour of Mr Brown.
Mr Brown will report directly to Sir Keir and is tasked with building international finance partnerships that can support defence and security in the UK.
