Why won't BBC release full Princess Diana interview by Martin Bashir? – Helen Martin

It has been revealed that the hour-long Panorama interview of Princess Diana by Martin Bashir (which we saw again recently on television) wasn’t the whole story.
Princess Diana on a visit to St Paul's Church in Jarrow in May 1985Princess Diana on a visit to St Paul's Church in Jarrow in May 1985
Princess Diana on a visit to St Paul's Church in Jarrow in May 1985

There’s another 20 minutes containing criticisms of the Royal Family that was edited out before its broadcast 25 years ago.

Well, that’s the BBC. Were they trying to protect themselves against Royal anger? Trying to prevent the Family from hearing it all and being offended? Were they trying to present Diana as being a sad, vulnerable, unhappy girl with no accusations or complaints, except for those about Charles and Camilla?

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We’d all like to know what she said, whether we adored her or not. Pro-Dianas, especially the millions who mourned her death, surrounded Buckingham Palace with floral tributes and sobbed at her loss would want her to have her say. The not-so-pro Royals would want to hear it. In fact, we’d all like to know the whole story.

Apparently, the Beeb have admitted they have no plans to open it up to the world. And we don’t know if they have shared it with the Queen and co either.

Their constitutional basis is, of course, the Royal Charter. Hence, they are very much a part of the British establishment, and getting less popular with people in Scotland as they seem to often ignore this part of the UK.

But if they ran the whole interview, they’d have a massive viewing rate, and I’m sure several other channels would love to get hold of the complete, 80-minute interview.

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