Let review mark a new dawn for scandal-hit BBC

Maybe we should be glad that he didn't add that 'lessons will be learned', but it is hard not to feel just a little weary at the frequency with which such mistakes are made.

The workplace culture review, led by an independent consultancy firm, was called in the wake of the furore over disgraced former newsreader Huw Edwards.

On the positive side, it did no evidence of a 'toxic culture', but BBC chairman Samir Shah admitted yesterday that there was a minority of people whose behaviour was simply not acceptable.

He said there were still places where powerful individuals, on and off screen, could abuse their position to make life for their colleagues unbearable.

The report made recommendations to 'prioritise action over procedural change', as well as addressing 'deep-seated issues', including staff not feeling confident enough to speak up.

It is refreshing that the BBC has been open enough to acknowledge these problems, and we don't doubt that Mr Davie and Mr Shah are sincere in their efforts to eradicate these issues. But we suspect they will have their work cut out if they are to succeed where so many of their predecessors have struggled.

Mr Davie and Mr Shah arrived at a time when the corporation was still reeling from the fall-out of the Savile affair, and nobody can blame them for what happened many years before they took up their posts. It is concerning, though, that when the first allegations were made against Huw Edwards by The Sun, its first instinct was to defend its star name.

And while it was right and proper that the BBC gave Edwards the benefit of the doubt until due process had been completed, the decision to give him a hefty pay rise while he was on bail demonstrates just how detached from reality some of its top brass have become.

Maybe the BBC needs to stop viewing itself as some kind of national institution, and take a more hard-headed approach when it comes to handling these matters.

If the BBC is to truly draw a line in the sand, then its management will need to recognise that however loved it may be by some people, it is just as susceptible as any other large organisation to having its share of rogue employees.

Even ones who cut a reassuring figure while reading the news.