BBC Scandals: The 9 Biggest Upsets, From Blue Peter Cat-Name-Fixing To The Hutton Inquiry

From the name of a Blue Peter cat to whether Jeremy Clarkson's voice can be used outside the corporation, the BBC has seen its fair share of scandals.

Now, just over a year after the death of Jimmy Savile, allegations of widespread abuse have emerged with the Met police saying the former BBC presenter could have abused 200 victims.

The BBC director general, George Entwistle was accused by MPs of failing to "get a grip" on the crisis after a Newsnight programme on the allegations was ditched.

In 2003 the broadcaster was plunged into crisis after the tragic events that led to the suicide of Dr David Kelly, who was named as a source for a report on the Today programme about the government's preparations for the Iraq war.

The corporation has also been hit with a number of bizarre scandals, including a storm over its Diamond Jubilee coverage which was branded "irreverant".

See The Huffington Post for a run-down of their 9 biggest scandals to hit the corporation.

 

• Spaghetti

  A hoax report about a spaghetti tree was broadcast in 1957 on the BBC for April Fool's Day. However many believed the hoax, which was later described as "the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled."

• The Queen

  The BBC had to apologise when security correspondent Frank Gardner revealed the Queen raised concerns about radical cleric Abu Hamza. "This is a conversation we had a little while ago and she did say that she had mentioned to - I don't know which Home Secretary it was at the time - that was there not some law he [Abu Hamza] had broken," he said.

• Clarkson breaches BBC guidelines

  Clarkson, who breached BBC guidelines by comparing a Japanese car to people with growths on their faces. The BBC apologised to the Mexican ambassador after Clarkson branded Mexicans "lazy", "feckless" and "flatulent" in 2011. Equally it had to pull out of a deal to produce sat navs with Clarkson's voice after it would find it breached guidelines.

• Frank Bough

  Frank Bough was sacked by the BBC after he was linked to a sex and drugs scandal. Former news of the world deputy editor Paul Connew, said the scandal caused a sensation at the time, given Bough's public image as the squeaky clean frontman of breakfast and sports television."

• Sachsgate

  Jonathan Ross million-pound BBC contract was not renewed after he and Russell Brand left a series of voice messages on actor Andrew Sachs' phone about how Brand had slept with the Fawlty Towers actor's grand daughter. In one call Ross called out "he f`***ked your granddaughter."

• Richard Bacon

  Richard Bacon was sacked by children's TV show Blue Peter in 1998 after allegations of drug taking

• The Jubilee Coverage

  The BBC received more than 2,400 complaints from the public about some of the live broadcasts during the national celebrations. It drew stinging criticism during the river pageant broadcast, with viewers attacking its "inane" commentary, camera angles and sound quality. Some people also singled out a sequence in Tuesday's coverage which saw Fearne Cotton and Paloma Faith discussing a Jubilee-themed sickbag.

• Blue Peter cat

  The BBC apologised after a poll to name the Blue Peter cat was rigged - with the feline being named Socks despite Cookie winning the online poll. Presenter Zoe Salmon said: "We'd like to say that we're sorry." (Cookie not pictured here)

• David Kelly

  Dr David Kelly killed himself after being named as the source for a BBC story about "sexing up" a government dossier on weapons of mass destruction. His death led to the resignation of BBC director general in 2004.