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New Book Exposes Bashir's Deception in Securing Diana's 1995 Interview
A new investigation into the BBC's infamous 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, reveals how journalist Martin Bashir used forged documents and false claims to secure the bombshell conversation, in which she declared, "There were three of us in this marriage." The book, Dianarama by Andy Webb, also details the BBC's subsequent cover-up and the lingering fallout for those involved, including Bashir's eventual resignation and the corporation's public apology.
The Forged Documents and a Web of Lies
Bashir convinced Diana to participate in the interview by presenting her brother, Earl Spencer, with fake bank statements suggesting that her close associates were being paid by MI5. The book discloses that Spencer initially remained silent about the deception to avoid undermining Diana's judgment. "To criticize Bashir would have been to paint his sister as a gullible fool," Webb writes. Spencer only spoke out in 2020, during the production of Webb's Channel 4 documentary, after reviewing BBC internal documents obtained via freedom of information requests.
Beyond the forged statements, Bashir allegedly made a series of "lurid and untrue claims" about the Royal Family, including then-Prince Charles, to manipulate Spencer. Webb describes Bashir as "pathologically, compellingly charming. Ruthless." The journalist's tactics secured one of the most watched interviews in television history, with Diana's candid admissions about her crumbling marriage and struggles with mental health.
BBC's "Woeful" Investigation and Delayed Reckoning
The book critiques the BBC's internal probe led by Tony Hall, then-director of BBC News, which Lord Dyson later deemed "woeful and ineffective" in a 2021 inquiry. Hall, who became the BBC's director-general, acknowledged the investigation's failures but offered no further comment. Bashir, meanwhile, continued his career at ITV and U.S. broadcasters before returning to the BBC in 2016 as religion editor. He resigned in 2021, citing health reasons, just before Dyson's report was published.
Webb argues that had Hall revealed the full truth in 1996, the "consequences for Diana can only be guessed at." The BBC has since apologized and accepted Dyson's findings in full. Matt Wiessler, the graphic designer who unknowingly created the fake bank statements for Bashir, received compensation and an apology from the corporation after being blacklisted in 1996. Wiessler later expressed profound guilt over Diana's 1997 death, telling Webb he stood among mourners outside Buckingham Palace at 4 a.m., believing he had "a hand in it."
Prince William's Pursuit of the Truth
The book suggests Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, is "taking steps to discover" the full extent of the deception surrounding the interview. William has previously condemned BBC managers for "looking the other way" and linked the interview to his mother's deteriorating mental state before her death. An unnamed source warns in the book that William is an "implacable antagonist" who "has people on the case." Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Webb's investigation began after watching the 2006 play Frost/Nixon, which dramatized another historic TV interview. His research uncovered that Diana's decision to speak with Bashir was partly influenced by Prince Charles's 1994 ITV interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, where he admitted to adultery-a program produced by Webb's then-father-in-law, Christopher Martin.
Unresolved Questions and a Burglary's Dark Twist
The book also revisits a bizarre episode involving Wiessler: a burglary at his flat targeting the floppy disks containing the forged documents. The thief left behind what Wiessler described as "[excrement] down my loo," a detail not previously widely reported. The motive for the break-in remains unclear.
Martin Bashir did not respond to requests for comment via his representative. The BBC reiterated its acceptance of Lord Dyson's findings and its public apology for the role it played in the scandal.
