The head of BBC Radio News has denied allegations from former Today editor Rod Liddle that BBC executives ordered the removal of author Frederick Forsyth from the show for being too right-wing.

In a letter to the Guardian, Stephen Mitchell accused Liddle of bending the truth by stating that "at no time did anyone in the BBC 'hector' me about the columns, nor complain about the politics of either Forsyth or [Will] Self."

"I felt the format and contributors were becoming tired and the slot needed refreshing. I talked to Radio 4 and found it shared my opinion, so I asked Rod to find new contributors or change the format," he added.

Mitchell was responding to claims made in last week's Sunday Telegraph by Liddle, who was forced to resign from the Radio 4 current affairs programme last year after comments made in his newspaper column led to claims of political bias.