BBC chairman Gavyn Davies has hit back at claims that the corporation will operate outside the control of the new media industry regulator Ofcom.

He spoke out after ITV director of programmes David Liddiment said the BBC held a "curiously aloof" position in the new regulatory set-up.

"BBC governors will remain judge and jury of the corporation's activities, almost entirely outside the jurisdiction of new regulator Ofcom," Mr Liddiment told a newspaper on Monday.

But Mr Davies insisted that the governors' role would complement the work of Ofcom in administering the government's Communications Bill published last week.

The BBC's position is curiously aloof, says Mr Liddiment

In a speech to the Institute of Economic Affairs about the BBC's role in digital TV, he said it was "a myth" that the BBC would operate outside of the watchdog.

"The reality of the Bill is that many BBC activities will indeed rightly be overseen by Ofcom," he said.

"The two bodies have quite different but entirely complementary roles.

Decency

"The board of governors and Ofcom should see each other as responsible for different aspects of a shared objective - to bring the benefits of public service broadcasting to the nation."

Governors will set tougher standards, says Mr Davies

Mr Davies pointed to a much-publicised clause in the bill allowing Ofcom to fine the BBC if it breached taste and decency rules.

"Ofcom will set standards for all, but the governors in many cases will set tougher standards for the BBC alone," said Mr Davies.

He also criticised the bill's failure to force satellite broadcasters like BSkyB to carry public service channels such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

Obliged

At the bill's discussion stage it was proposed that public service broadcasters would have to offer their channels to all the main digital platform operators - across terrestrial, cable and satellite.

In turn the platform providers would have been obliged to carry these services - including all BBC TV channels.

The corporation's proposals on the issue had been backed by Lord Puttnam's committee of MPs who scrutinised the draft bill, Mr Davies said.

"We had thought the Government was committed to delivering this universal access through the Communications Bill," said Mr Davies.