Filling the chair
The dream job in British television that no one seems to want
Personally speaking I don't think that the job of BBC One controller has (yet) turned into a "poisoned chalice" - that description is probably best reserved for Michael Grade's job at ITV - it's just that the most suitable candidates for the job are relatively happy with their positions and that they know that the BBC One controllership has a relatively demanding brief.
Or alternatively some candidates know that they would be declined the job if they applied, and the BBC would only pick someone like ex-BBC Three controller Stuart Murphy as a "second choice option" since he was overlooked the first time round unless he had gained significant new experience in the interim. (In short, only if they were desperate.)
Given the recent 'Crowngate' Queen documentary-editing scandal and all the other quiz, phone poll and 'fakery' scandals swirling around the whole of the television industry, the BBC One controller job needs someone who understands light entertainment but has also worked in a high-pressure background such as news and/or current affairs.
Such a person will inevitably have to handle some of the BBC's PR affairs as well, given the woefulness of the once-highly respected BBC press department due to recent staffing cutbacks. Therefore that person has to be heavily trustworthy as well as previously having had nothing to do with premium rate phone calls or naming of cats for Blue Peter.
The ideal candidate would have to be capable of dragging the BBC's flagship television channel towards a better understanding of public service values as well as juggling with a steadily declining budget for programming alongside dealing with tricky issues such as the future of highly-paid performers such as Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton.
My suggestion? Make the controller of BBC Fiction Jane Tranter the controller of BBC One, and give Russell T Davies (the executive producer of Doctor Who) the BBC Fiction job. RTD has made a spectacular success of Doctor Who but he himself has hinted that it's time to move on, and it would be a waste of a talent to let him go to the commercial sector.
Alternatively why not think out of the box and promote someone else who's well used to handling the media and has a strong vision for the future of the corporation - Jeremy Paxman, perhaps?
