Although it might appear for all the world that George Entwistle didn't achieve very much in his 54 days as BBC director general – other than blindly wading into catastrophe and getting bellowed at by John Humphrys – the opposite is probably true. For instance, Total Wipeout was on TV before he took the job. Now it isn't. That alone is probably cause for some sort of footnote. Isn't it?
He might not have had the job for long enough to intentionally make any significant changes to the BBC, or even to be copied into any emails informing everyone that Sandra's birthday cake is next to the photocopier, but all is not lost. As the shortest-serving director general in BBC history, Entwistle has now qualified to join one of the most elite groups in history: the Shortest-Serving Club.
William Pulteney
For bailing out at the first sign of trouble after less than two months, Entwistle's name will go down alongside that of William Pulteney, the first Earl of Bath, who became prime minister on 10 February 1746 and then resigned two days later because nobody wanted to be in his cabinet.
William Henry Harrison
Harrison was the ninth president of the United States. As a show of bravado, he took the oath of office in a rainstorm on 4 March 1841 without a coat or hat, and then died of pneumonia a month later.
Boris Yeltsin
Entwistle can also hold his head up high knowing he kept his job for much longer than Boris Yeltsin. In 1998, during his presidency, Yeltsin sacked his prime minister and cabinet and declared that he was going to be prime minister from now on. Then a few hours later he changed his mind.
Sweyn Forkbeard
Entwistle has also edged out Sweyn Forkbeard, who was the king of England for five weeks between 1013 and 1014. Sweyn did, however, name his oldest son Cnut, which you have to admit takes some balls.
Brian Clough
Entwistle should remember that, sometimes, short tenures can lead to immortality. Clough's notorious 44-day reign as Leeds manager in 1974 might have been embarrassing, but they ended up making a film about it. Who's to say that Michael Sheen isn't practising his best George Entwistle impression into a mirror as we speak?
Michael O'Neill
In April 1999, O'Neill became the new head of Barclays. And then, during his first day, he became the shortest-serving head of Barclays ever, after failing a medical. He suffered from an arrhythmic heartbeat that was exacerbated with stress. At least getting and losing a high-profile job on the same day isn't too stressful.
Pope Urban VII
The figurehead of the Shortest-Serving Club is undoubtedly Pope Urban VII, the shortest-serving pope in the history of the Catholic church. Yes, he only managed to hold his job for 13 days in 1590, before passing away from malaria ahead of his official coronation, but in that time he still managed to pull off the world's first smoking ban. He lives on as proof that it's not the time you're given that matters, but what you do with it. Entwistle will do well to remember this. After all, only a titan could get rid of Total Wipeout that easily.
