Rugby World Cup tickets, watching Benedict Cumberbatch’s turn as Hamlet and a private screening of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest Terminator film were among the freebies enjoyed by senior civil servants at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport last year.
Sue Owen, permanent secretary at the DCMS, took full advantage of the sports bonanza last year, attending England’s Rugby World Cup matches against Fiji and Wales.
The freebies, courtesy of England Rugby World Cup, included taking a “spouse, family member or friend”.
Owen also attended England’s first cricket Test against New Zealand at Lord’s last May, thanks to England Cricket.
It wasn’t all play for Owen, who also met BBC director general Tony Hall twice about charter review prior to the government’s licence fee deal with the corporation in early July.
The meetings, described as “catch-ups” in DCMS data covering the first nine months of 2015 published on Friday, were held on 27 April and 1 June.
She also had a catch-up with David Abraham, the Channel 4 chief executive, on the same day she first met Hall.
She also caught up with Ofcom chair Patricia Hodgson twice.
Interestingly, one meeting on 9 July came just days after news of the BBC’s licence fee deal had broken in the press. The other meeting was on 17 September.
Owen also met one journalist, Financial Times public policy editor Sarah Neville, on 25 June.
Hugh Harris, director of media, international, gambling and creative industries at the DCMS, attended a private screening of Terminator Genisys in July.
And the Barbican gave Clare Pillman, director of culture, tourism and sport, tickets to attend Cumberbatch’s Hamlet in September.
The French rugby team were also kind enough to invite her along to a World Cup reception, and she made it to Tate Britain’s summer party.
