Michael Lyons: 'Election boat was an error'

Outgoing BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has named an election broadcast on a Thames barge packed with celebrities as a low point during his time at the BBC.

On a boat called the Silver Sturgeon moored near to the Palace of Westminster, Andrew Neil interviewed various well-known personalities, including Sir Ben Kingsley, Bruce Forsythe and Joan Collins, about the race for Number 10. The party, thought to have cost the BBC more than £30,000, was dubbed by critics as the "ship of fools".

Sir Michael, who was also a guest on the boat, said that the initiative was the moment he felt "most uncomfortable" during his four years in office at the Trust.

Speaking to Radio 4's The Media Show, he said: "Let me be frank, I think that the moment I felt most uncomfortable was on the famous barge just after the elections, which I thought was a mis-designed initiative if ever there was one."

Later, he added: "I didn't have a great evening that evening but, you know, there have been a few challenging times but you don't take on these jobs without expecting that."

Sir Michael was also asked about the Manuelgate scandal, when Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross left rude messages on the answering machine of actor Andrew Sachs during Brand's Radio 2 show.

Discussing the situation, Sir Michael said: "Clearly the failure there on the BBC's part was the fact that that was broadcast, when it didn't need to be."

The media storm that followed the incident led to the departures of Ross, Brand and Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas, but Sir Michael said he was "comfortable that the BBC dealt with [the scandal] well".

Lord Chris Patten will this month replace Sir Michael as chairman of the BBC Trust, with BBC trustee Diane Coyle recently being confirmed as his vice-chair.