Stephen Carter – or rather Lord Carter of Barnes – is moving back to London this summer after two and a half years in Paris with Alcatel, where he has been chief marketing officer at the telecoms equipment firm. His wife Anna and the children have moved back to Britain already, which has prompted all sorts easy speculation that Carter might be applying for the BBC top job. Unfortunately, Carter has told friends that he hasn't filled out the forms, perhaps recognising that his application would be fraught with problems. Even though his work at Ofcom and elsewhere would qualify him, the period he spent in No 10 and as a Labour minister might cause some controversy – although it hasn't stopped Chris Patten becoming chairman. More serious, though, is the fact that it would be absurd to have two Lords from Barnes in charge; how then would the BBC meet its top dog out of London quota?
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