Greg Dyke has said he does not accept the conclusions of the Hutton report following his resignation as director general of the BBC.

The former Labour Party donor said the law lord's report into the row between the corporation and the government had given the broadcaster "none of the benefit of the doubt".

In a series of media interviews on Friday, he said the report into the death of government scientist Dr David Kelly was "quite clearly wrong" and suggested there could be legal objections to the findings which cleared the government of all but a few minor charges.

"We were shocked it was so black and white," he said. "We knew mistakes had been made but we didn't believe they were only by us.

"I would be interested in what a few other law lords, on looking at Hutton, thought of it.

"We have an opinion... there are points of law in there where he is quite clearly wrong."

Dyke also accused former Downing Street communications director Alastair Campbell of being "ungracious" in victory.

Newspaper reports suggest the charismatic corporation chief was forced to resign as the governors decided to apologise to ministers.

However culture secretary Tessa Jowell praised Dyke's decision to resign but said "enough is enough, it is now time to move on".

She denied that the Hutton report would be used to bring the BBC to heel though the forthcoming Charter review process.

"Hutton looked at one issue," she said. "Charter review is a far bigger canvas.

"Once we have reviewed the current Charter the end result will be a strong BBC, independent of government.

"A BBC that will still be the best broadcaster in the world.

"And a BBC that is nobody's lapdog. That challenges government and raises debate. That is in all our interests."

And the lord chancellor Lord Falconer, who commissioned the report, defended Lord Hutton's findings.

"Lord Hutton has made a very thorough investigation into what happened and I think all of us have to reflect very carefully on what he has found," he said.

"He went through a process that everybody accepted was fair and very, very thorough. We should all learn from it."

On Thursday a statement confirmed Dyke was stepping down as director general prompting thousands of BBC employees to leave their desks in a show of support.

His move followed the resignation of chairman Gavyn Davies on Wednesday night.

"I am proud of what we have achieved together over the last four years and with the departure of Gavyn and myself, and the apology I issued on behalf of the BBC yesterday, I hope that a line can now be drawn under this whole episode," he told journalists.

"Throughout this affair my sole aim as director general of the BBC has been to defend our editorial independence and to act in the public interest."

He has temporarily been replaced by his former deputy Mark Byford.

Lord Ryder, who has temporarily replaced Davies, immediately issued a statement apologising "unreservedly" for the mistakes made.

"The BBC must now move forward in the wake of Lord Hutton's report," he said.

"On behalf of the BBC I have no hesitation in apologising unreservedly for our errors and to the individuals whose reputations were affected by them."

The statement was welcomed by the prime minister. "That is all I ever wanted," he said.

"I want to make it absolutely clear to you that I fully respect the independence of the BBC, I have got no doubt that the BBC will continue as it should do to probe and question the government in every proper way.

"But what this does now is that it allows us to draw a line and move on, the BBC to get on with their job and the government to get on with ours."

Davies quit after Lord Hutton concluded the BBC had repeatedly failed to check its facts before engaging in a bitter conflict with Downing Street.

The corporation's chief took responsibility for the failings - although the future of other BBC employees has been called into question.

"Because the BBC is so widely trusted, it is crucial that its chairman should take personal responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of accuracy and impartiality are maintained in its news output," Davies said in a statement.

"Licence payers cannot maintain their trust in the output of the BBC unless they can have confidence in its leadership."

Despite accepting the criticism levelled at the BBC, Davies questioned Lord Hutton's decision to exonerate the government.

"Is it clearly possible to reconcile Lord Hutton's bald conclusions on the production of the September 2002 dossier with the balance of evidence that was presented to him during his own Inquiry?" he asked.

"Second, did his verdict on Mr Gilligan's reports take sufficient account of what was said by Dr Kelly on tape to Susan Watts?

"Third, did his criticisms of the BBC take sufficient account of the extenuating circumstances which were created by the public attacks on the BBC during and after the war?

"Finally, are his conclusions on restricting the use of unverifiable sources in British journalism based on sound law and, if applied, would they constitute a threat to the freedom of the press in this country?

"I am sure that these questions will be widely debated."

In an initial statement issued on Wednesday Dyke defended the BBC's actions despite the scathing attack by Lord Hutton.

Senior ministers have signalled that the findings of Lord Hutton's report will be taken into account during the review of the BBC's charter.

And other Labour figures have warned that the corporation will have to review its procedures if trust in the broadcaster is to return.

Speaking on Newsnight, former Downing Street director of communications Alastair Campbell argued that the corporation was "clutching at straws".

He added that the controversy had been made worse by the decision of Dyke and Davies to stand by Gilligan's story.

"The BBC is clutching at straws and it should face the facts," he said.

In a statement, Dyke admitted that "certain key allegations reported by Andrew Gilligan on the Today programme on May 29 last year were wrong and we apologise for them".

However, he described Dr David Kelly as a credible source.