Acting chair urges nation to ‘believe in’ BBC as it faces difficult choices

She is set to address the autumn conference telling delegates that the corporation needs “focus and determination” as it seeks to make savings in the face of high inflation and a licence fee freeze

BBC acting chair Dame Elan Closs Stephens (Aaron Chown/PA)

Acting BBC chair Elan Closs Stephens said the broadcaster needs people to “believe in them and to defend them” as it faces difficult choices amid ongoing financial pressures.

Ms Stephens will mark five months at the helm of the BBC, having taken over from Richard Sharp in June, with a keynote speaker appearance at the 40th Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference in London on Wednesday.