BBC Scandals: The 9 Biggest Upsets, From Blue Peter Cat-Name-Fixing To The Hutton Inquiry

The 9 Biggest BBC Scandals

From the name of a Blue Peter cat to whether Jeremy Clarkson's voice can be used outside the corporation, the BBC has seen its fair share of scandals.

The BBC director general, George Entwistle was accused by MPs of failing to "get a grip" on the crisis after a Newsnight programme on the allegations was ditched.

In 2003 the broadcaster was plunged into crisis after the tragic events that led to the suicide of Dr David Kelly, who was named as a source for a report on the Today programme about the government's preparations for the Iraq war.

The corporation has also been hit with a number of bizarre scandals, including a storm over its Diamond Jubilee coverage which was branded "irreverant".

See below for a run-down of the 9 biggest scandals to hit the corporation.

BBC scandals
Spaghetti (01 of09)
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A hoax report about a spaghetti tree was broadcast in 1957 on the BBC for April Fool's Day. However many believed the hoax, which was later described as "the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled." (credit:Alamy)
The Queen(02 of09)
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The BBC had to apologise when security correspondent Frank Gardner revealed the Queen raised concerns about radical cleric Abu Hamza. "This is a conversation we had a little while ago and she did say that she had mentioned to - I don't know which Home Secretary it was at the time - that was there not some law he [Abu Hamza] had broken," he said. (credit:AP)
Clarkson breaches BBC guidelines(03 of09)
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Clarkson, who breached BBC guidelines by comparing a Japanese car to people with growths on their faces.The BBC apologised to the Mexican ambassador after Clarkson branded Mexicans "lazy", "feckless" and "flatulent" in 2011.Equally it had to pull out of a deal to produce sat navs with Clarkson's voice after it would find it breached guidelines. (credit:PA)
Frank Bough(04 of09)
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Frank Bough was sacked by the BBC after he was linked to a sex and drugs scandal. Former news of the world deputy editor Paul Connew, said the scandal caused a sensation at the time, given Bough's public image as the squeaky clean frontman of breakfast and sports television." (credit:PA)
Sachsgate(05 of09)
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Jonathan Ross million-pound BBC contract was not renewed after he and Russell Brand left a series of voice messages on actor Andrew Sachs' phone about how Brand had slept with the Fawlty Towers actor's grand daughter.In one call Ross called out "he f`***ked your granddaughter." (credit:PA)
Richard Bacon(06 of09)
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Richard Bacon was sacked by children's TV show Blue Peter in 1998 after allegations of drug taking (credit:PA)
The Jubilee Coverage(07 of09)
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The BBC received more than 2,400 complaints from the public about some of the live broadcasts during the national celebrations.It drew stinging criticism during the river pageant broadcast, with viewers attacking its "inane" commentary, camera angles and sound quality.Some people also singled out a sequence in Tuesday's coverage which saw Fearne Cotton and Paloma Faith discussing a Jubilee-themed sickbag. (credit:PA)
Blue Peter cat (08 of09)
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The BBC apologised after a poll to name the Blue Peter cat was rigged - with the feline being named Socks despite Cookie winning the online poll.Presenter Zoe Salmon said: "We'd like to say that we're sorry."(Cookie not pictured here)
David Kelly (09 of09)
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Dr David Kelly killed himself after being named as the source for a BBC story about "sexing up" a government dossier on weapons of mass destruction. His death led to the resignation of BBC director general in 2004. (credit:PA)