Peter Bazalgette is a witty, creative television veteran, a dab hand on the networking circuit who talks Big Brother (his baby) or grand opera with equal facility. So a good choice to take over from an ex-Tory MP cum supermarket boss as chairman of ITV? Probably: board meetings will be a lot more fun. But you can raise an eyebrow over a couple of details. One is that Bazalgette will be running in alongside new director of programmes Kevin Lygo who, at 58, is only four years younger than the chairman and another witty, creative TV veteran. Two peas, one pod. Are they too alike, too equally talented? Could they be shuffled round on a whim, with programming guru Baz reporting to chairman Lygo?
Things could be a little unstable if creative talents clash. And then there’s the job Bazalgette leaves behind, at Arts Council England, his departure announced last week after only three years in the job. Running a big agency, doing sponsorship deals, knowing where excellence lies … these aren’t things you learn in 15 seconds. Jeremy Hunt was the culture secretary who didn’t reappoint Liz Forgan (who many wanted to continue) because he thought Bazalgette could offer more network prospects. But not in three years. Hunt’s gone; Bazalgette is going. A rather attenuated commercial break.
