Lord Birt paid an informal visit to BBC Future Media yesterday. Here he is with the current Director of Future Media, Ralph Rivera at an internal staff event.
Lord Birt and Ralph Rivera in conversation in the Ada Lovelace room
If you're in any doubt as to Lord Birt's importance in the history of BBC Online, read this lengthy article from The Register published last year.
It includes this quote from Lord Birt:
“The BBC is a delightfully creative organisation: whether it's well managed or badly managed, these people will express themselves,”... “People were broadly alert to the internet. But they can't coalesce, so to speak, unless the management stands behind it and invests in it.
“We didn't act perfectly on every insight we had – but the news demo was the critical moment – I knew this is going to be an important public service medium, and it has to be funded by the licence fee, and it's going to be very successful. And we've got to be there, and be pioneers.”
Nick Reynolds is Editor, BBC Internet blog