BBC Acting Chair Elan Closs Stephens Weighs In on Richard Sharp Aftermath: ‘We’ve Gone Through a Difficult Period of Time’

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Elan Closs Stephens, who has assumed charge as acting BBC chair following the resignation of Richard Sharp, has spoken out about her predecessor and the process of appointing her successor.

Sharp resigned in April over his role in a 2020 loan to then U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. On Wednesday, Closs Stephens’ first day as acting BBC chair, a Q&A with BBC presenter Tina Daheley was shared with the corporation’s staff.

When asked what she would say to people who feel the BBC’s reputation has been damaged by what happened with Richard Sharp, Closs Stephens said: “There’s no doubt that we’ve gone through a difficult period of time and I’m sure that staff and the board and Richard himself were unnerved by what happened over the past few months.

All of us feel a debt of gratitude to Richard for the way in which he committed himself to the organization during his two years.