Lord Patten's select committee catfight

Sparks flew this morning in the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, as Lord Patten came to verbal blows with Tory MP Philip Davies over the extent of his involvement in the BBC. Patten has previously come in for criticism over allegedly holding down 14 separate jobs – including his role of chairman of the BBC Trust – but when asked about his day-to-day work at the corporation, he dismissed the MP’s ‘impertinent question.’ ‘Do you want to know my toilet habits?’ Patten scoffed.

Fortunately, Davies didn’t, but he went on to describe the BBC as ‘a shambles’, asking: ‘Have you been actually putting in the hours?’ Perhaps wearied by his morning of questioning, Patten had had enough. ‘I don’t think this Socratic dialogue is getting us very far’, he shot back.

Licence-payers’ cash – and its use – was the main topic of Patten’s select committee appearance this morning. Speaking alongside the acting Director General Tim Davie, Patten was quizzed about his work at the BBC, George Entwistle’s resignation, and the on-going inquiries into two Newsnight programmes.