Applications to become Chairman of the BBC Trust close on Friday. Plenty of noise was made early on the race about the need for a totally committed successor, after Chris Patten stood accused of not giving the £110,000 a year job his full attention.
The official job specification published by the Cabinet Office stated:
“‘The time commitment for the Trust Chairman has been 3-4 days per week (or 12-16 days per month).’
Late in the day though, a source familiar with the selection process points out that an additional sentence has been added to the advert:
“‘However, suitable candidates able to offer a lesser time commitment will also be considered.’
That wasn't there when the job first went up. Intriguingly, BBC insiders refer to it as the 'Seb line'.