MARK THOMPSON

•Job- BBC director general
•AGE-50
•Industry – broadcasting, new media, publishing
•Staff under his management- 25,377
•Salary-£619,000
•Ranking number 3
•Religion- Christian
•Patron of the art room charity in oxford

•Appointed director general in may 2004 but started the job in June.
•Succeeded Greg dyke who resigned in January 2004.
•BBC board of governors appointed him headed by chairman Michael grade.
• announced different changes when taking charge including nine top mangers in the executive committee.
•Lives in oxford and married to an author, has two sons and a daughter.

Broadcasting career
•1981 - assisted launching long-running consumer programme watchdog
•1983 - assisted launching breakfast time
•1985 – Editor of news night
•1988 - Editor, nine o clock news (at the age of 30)
•1990 - Editor, panorama
•1992 - Head of Features
•1994 - Head of Factual Programmes
•1996 – Controller of BBC two
•1999 - Director, National and Regional Broadcasting
•In April 200 he became BBC director of television, but left the corporation in march 2002 to become chief executive of Channel 4.

Credits
•won acclaim for its drama (Our Mutual Friend, The Cops, Amongst Women, Shooting the Past),
•Won acclaim for its entertainment and comedy (I'm Alan Partridge, The Fast Show, The Royal Family, Big Train),
•Won acclaim for Its factual, arts and leisure programmes (The Nazis, Storyville, Naked, Back to the Floor, and Ground Force).

Controversy
•Criticised by Richard Eyre former artist director of the national theatre
•Criticised for not producing programs that inspire viewers to visit galleries and theatres by Richard Eyre
• criticised by Tony palmer(film maker) who thought that BBC reputation has suffered due to chat show programs.
•Allegations were that he bit a colleague s arm as Jeremy Paxman(presenter) was going to question him about it.