New York Times CEO Mark Thompson to Give Evidence at BBC Inquiry (Report)

LONDON – The former BBC director general Mark Thompson, who left the public broadcaster to be the new CEO of the New York Times Co.  last week, has flown back to London to give evidence to the inquiry into the handling of Newsnight's shelved report into sexual abuse by the late Jimmy Savile, according to a report in The Guardian.

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Thompson will give evidence to the inquiry being lead by Nick Pollard, a former Sky News chief, into why the news magazine Newsnight dropped an investigation into a police decision to drop a sexual abuse probe against Savile.

According to The Guardian, Thompson is taking a couple of days of enforced leave from his new job and is expected to give evidence Friday.

It also emerged on Friday that Pollard now expects to complete the inquiry by mid-December, rather than late November.

Thompson is expected to be questioned by inquiry legal eagle Alan Maclean over what precisely he knew about allegations of child sexual abuse by Savile.

Thompson previously said that he had no knowledge of the Savile allegations until ITV's documentary on the late Top of The Pops presenter aired at the beginning of October.

Thompson has also repeatedly said that he did not intervene in Newsnight's Savile investigation.

Thompson's successor as director general George Entwistle, resigned after just 54 days in the job, succumbing to the media storm following allegations of sexual abuse against Savile and a mistaken news report that forced the BBC to issue a retraction.