Greg Dyke, the former director general of the BBC, used weekend media interviews to reiterate his anger over the Hutton report.

Appearing on BBC1's Breakfast with Frost, Dyke claimed the BBC governors forced him out and accused the government of "systematic bullying" and "intimidation" during the Iraq war.

"I said to the governors... I do need your confidence. If I haven't got your confidence, I can't stay. At that stage, I left the room. An hour or so later I discovered they'd decided to suggest I leave," he said.

According to today's Times, he is also hiring lawyers with a view to seeking a judicial review of Hutton's findings.

However two unnamed BBC governors are reported in the Telegraph as saying they had to let Dyke go and were not "panicked" into the decision.