Princess Diana and Martin Bashir in The Interview. (Image: Pamela Raith Photography)
Disgraced former BBC journalist Martin Bashir appears to have taken a financial hit after his reputation was left in tatters following a damning report he faked bank statements to secure his infamous Princess Diana interview.
He became an in-demand speaker after his explosive 1995 Panorama programme that saw the Princess of Wales tell him “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”.
This was a reference to then Prince Charles’s adulterous relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles and was a huge scoop for the broadcaster and Bashir.
He would go on to earn around £15,000 a time on the lucrative speaking circuit. But new figures reveal his company has slipped into the red as bookings dried up following his fall from grace.
Bashir still runs his own firm Panoramic Productions Ltd – seemingly a nod to the Panorama interview that changed him into a globally-known journalist.
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The latest yearly accounts up to January 31, 2024 showed the firm is £19,223 in the red, with cash reserves of £2,306 but bills of more than £22,000 to meet.
Bashir’s downfall began in 2020 when the ‘s director-general Tim Davie was forced to apologise to the Princess’s brother, Earl
Spencer, for Bashir’s use of faked bank statements.
Bashir then stepped down as ‘s religion editor in May 2021 citing health reasons, shortly before former Justice of the Supreme Court Lord Dyson published his report into the scandal.
The independent inquiry had been welcomed by and found Bashir used “deceitful behaviour” in a “serious breach” of the ‘s producer guidelines to secure his interview. He also deemed Earl Spencer to be a “credible witness” but there were “significant parts of Mr Bashir’s account I reject as incredible, unreliable and, in some cases, dishonest”.
Bashir has always rejected the findings of the inquiry, denying he deceived Diana. Earl Spencer has demanded a inquiry and has said if he had not seen the statements he would not have introduced his sister to Bashir.
In January the released 3,000 emails about the scandal following a court order. In a 2020 message, Bashir blamed professional jealousy, racism and his working-class roots for the controversy over “this so-called ‘forgery’ story”.