"An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales" is an episode of the BBC documentary series Panorama which was broadcast on BBC1 on 20 November 1995.[1] The 54-minute programme saw Diana, Princess of Wales, interviewed by journalist Martin Bashir about her relationship with her husband, Charles, Prince of Wales, and the reasons for their subsequent separation.[2][3][4] The programme was watched by nearly 23 million viewers in the UK.[5] The worldwide audience was estimated at 200 million across 100 countries.[6] In the UK, the National Grid reported a 1,000 MW surge in demand for power after the programme.[6] At the time, the BBC hailed the interview as the scoop of a generation.[7][8]
In 2020, BBC Director-GeneralTim Davie apologised to the princess's brother Charles Spencer because Bashir had used forged bank statements to win his and Diana's trust to secure the interview.[9] Former Justice of the Supreme Court Lord John Dyson conducted an independent inquiry into the issue.[10][11] Dyson's inquiry found Bashir guilty of deceit and of breaching BBC editorial conduct to obtain the interview.[12][13] A year after the inquiry's conclusion, Tim Davie announced that the BBC would never air the interview again and would not licence it to other broadcasters.[14]
^Urwin, Rosamund (1 November 2020). "BBC says sorry to Diana's brother Earl Spencer for interview 'deceit'". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 November 2020. Spencer is understood to have told Davie that he has records of all his meetings and conversations with Bashir. These are alleged to show that Bashir told Diana fantastical stories to win her trust and that he used the fake bank statements to garner his first meeting with her.(subscription required)