The BBC dossier that could prove cover-up of Bashir's Diana deception
Before the infamous Panorama interview in which he lured Princess Diana onto primetime TV through a series of lies, Martin Bashir was relatively unknown in media circles. However, he possessed a charm that was both creative and captivating. He had a talent for flattering people.
Like a snake charmer, he was fantastic at looking in your eyes and telling you, "You're brilliant!" He was terrific at doing sincerity.
His cunning and ability to deceive even the most experienced journalists became evident when he joined Panorama and approached Tom Mangold, a veteran reporter with 30 years of BBC experience. Mangold, who had produced 120 Panorama films and prided himself on detecting frauds, recalled:
One day Martin took me to one side and said, "Mr Mangold, I'm sorry to trouble you, but I just wanted to tell you that my brother recently died and on his deathbed he said to me, 'Martin, when you get to Panorama, imitate Tom Mangold. Operate like him, and you will become as successful as he is.' I was really touched.
What Mangold didn’t know then was that Bashir had told the same story to Mike Nicholson at ITV and to John Humphrys. Bashir was eager to become a celebrity journalist like them and knew he had to execute a major splash to reach that goal.
Author’s summary: Martin Bashir’s charm masked a calculated ambition, relying on deception and manipulation to attain fame in journalism.