
The BBC Trust has launched a new review into BBC compliance procedures in non-news areas almost a year after the Manuelgate scandal involving Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross.
The Trust's latest investigation will examine events on Brand's Saturday night show on October 18 and 25 last year, when he and Ross left prank phone messages on the answering machine of Andrew Sachs.
Former Ofcom partner Tim Suter and former Radio Authority chief executive Tony Stoller will lead the review, reporting to the Trust's Editorial Standards Committee.
Along with studying internal reports issued by Ofcom and the BBC, Suter and Stoller will also interview key members of the audio and music team directly connected to the controversy.
The Trust primarily wants to evaluate whether the BBC management "demonstrated an inadequacy in the editorial control and compliance procedures" in its audio and music department.
The review will also assess the effectiveness of the BBC's response to the scandal after it broke in the media.
In the wake of the controversy, Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas handed in her resignation, along with the station's head of compliance Dave Barber. Brand has since left his Radio 2 show and Ross was suspended for three months without pay.
In reaction to widespread criticisms of its approach, the BBC Executive introduced a High Risk Programmes Register in December 2008. It also appointed Paul Smith as the new head of editorial standards for BBC audio and music, with Joe Graham becoming compliance editor for Radio 2 and BBC 6Music.
However, BBC management will again come under scrutiny in the latest review as the Trust evaluates how effective its implemented measures have worked to address the "shortcomings" exposed in the controversy.
This includes looking at the training given to in-house and independent production staff with "a focus on the understanding of risk and clarity as to responsibility at all stages of the process".
Suter and Stoller will submit their initial review to the Trust in the autumn, followed by the final report in early 2010.


