Today editor Kevin Marsh thought hard about his role

The sorrow of Kevin Marsh, editor of Radio 4's Today programme, in the wake of the scientist's apparent suicide is shown in documents released by the Hutton inquiry on Saturday.

Dr Kelly was the source for the Today programme report about claims that the government had "sexed up" its dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

The documents also show concern from Newsnight journalist Susan Watts about people in the BBC leaking details of her taped interview with Dr Kelly to the press as the inquiry started work.

In the fortnight after the storm broke around the BBC story, Mr Marsh asked reporter Andrew Gilligan to make some changes to an article he was writing for the Mail on Sunday on the government backlash.

He told Mr Gilligan it was "a question of tone and the extent to which you seem to be enjoying the attention".

It was after Dr Kelly was found dead on 18 July that Mr Marsh wrote an e-mail to Stephen Mitchell, the BBC's head of radio news, telling about his soul-searching.

Just three days later, he wrote in the message: "Obviously, I'm finding this extremely difficult.

"Whatever the state of the current argument, whatever other people's roles in all of this and however composed one has to appear in public, I'm still deeply affected by the knowledge that a very good man is dead as a result of a series of events that, in the end, I set in train."

Leak concerns

Mr Marsh said he had thought hard about whether he was driven by unworthy motives or had fallen short of his professional duty.

But he added: "I find it hard to believe that I - or anyone else - would, could or should have acted differently, given the state of our knowledge at the time or that my assessment of the processes that got it to air was flawed.

"Nevertheless, what's happened has happened."

Two days later, the Guardian newspaper published a story saying the BBC had a tape of Ms Watts' conversation with Dr Kelly the day after the Today story was broadcast.

In a letter to the BBC the same day, Ms Watts' lawyers said they had noted BBC director general Greg Dyke's assurance that the corporation had in no way authorised the article.

The lawyers' letter continues: "Our client can only conclude that there is a leak at the BBC and we are most concerned that this practice should cease...

"Our client is most concerned to preserve the integrity of the process before the Hutton inquiry and ensure that there be no suggestion that any person at the BBC has engaged in inappropriate comment to the press."

Interviewer preference

Ms Watts has already told the inquiry she felt BBC bosses tried to "mould" her reports to corroborate Mr Gilligan's story - a claim dismissed by corporation news director Richard Sambrook.

Other revelations from the documents the BBC handed to the inquiry include the suggestion that Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will only go on Today if John Humphrys is the interviewer.

An e-mail from Today assistant editor Miranda Holt says: "The last time as day editor I rang No 10 was when the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott indicated he would do an interview and then a few hours later turned us down with no explanation.

"I rang No 10 to ask why and for them to ask him again. It had no effect.