The chairman of the BBC Trust has said the BBC will face the music if wrongdoing was discovered at the corporation, as the inquiry into the "culture" during the era of Jimmy Savile's sex abuse is set to begin.
The BBC will investigate its "culture and practices" during the era of star presenter Savile's campaign of sexual abuse.
Led by former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith, the probe will also determine whether the broadcaster's child protection and whistle-blowing policies are up to scratch.
The announcement comes a year to the day since Savile died aged 84 at his home in Leeds.
Chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, said he was dedicated to finding out the truth about the scandal that has engulfed the corporation, vowing there would be "no covering our backs".
He also apologised "unreservedly" to abused women who spoke to a BBC's Newsnight investigation into the abuse which was axed last year.
An inquiry into possible BBC management failures over the canning of the Newsnight programme has already began under former head of Sky News Nick Pollard.
Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for an over-arching independent inquiry into the Savile case.
But Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said he was not he was not in favour of an immediate judge-led investigation.
Grayling said: "There is always a danger if you set up a very substantial inquiry process of that kind that it takes much longer to get to the truth."
Dame Janet, who was appointed to the appeal court in 2002, led the Shipman Inquiry into the activities of serial killer GP Dr Harold Shipman which reported in 2005.