Where is Martin Bashir now? Ex-BBC journalist blamed racism for Princess Diana interview fallout, internal emails reveal

On January 31, 2024, BBC released over 3000 internal emails that claimed ex-journalist Martin Bashir blamed "professional jealousy" within the corporation for the uproar following his explosive interview with Princess Diana for Panorama in 1995. The emails revealed that he also stated his "ethnicity and working-class background" helped to make him a target.

These emails were released as part of an inquiry in 2021 into the allegations that Bashir used deceptions and fake documents to secure the interview with Princess Diana. According to BBC News, investigative journalist Andy Webb claimed that BBC managers tried to cover up Bashir's deceptions and asked for the emails to be released in 2021. The BBC denied these allegations and stated they were "simply wrong."

Martin Bashir's current whereabouts are unknown, though he hasn't worked as a journalist in any network since he resigned from BBC in 2021.

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Martin Bashir hasn't held a journalist position in any network following his resignation from BBC

According to Hello!, Martin Bashir resigned as BBC's religion editor on May 14, 2021, just before the inquiry report about the BBC scandal went public. He cited significant health issues as his reason for resignation. It was reported that the seasoned journalist was unwell following complications due to COVID-19 and had undergone heart surgery in late 2020.

The recent season of The Crown delved deep into the 1995 Princess Diana interview, causing a renewed interest in the scandal. The interview was watched by more than 20 million people in 1995 and became infamous due to Princess Diana's statements regarding the breakdown of her marriage with King Charles.

According to Sky News, a damning report in 2021 allegedly found that Martin Bashir showed the late Princess's brother, Earl Spencer, falsified bank statements containing payments by a newspaper group to the latter's staff in a bid to gain their trust and score an interview with Diana.

A graphic artist working for the BBC said Bashir had allegedly asked him to produce fake bank statements. Bashir admitted to faking the statements but vehemently denied showing them to Earl Spencer. The report said,

"Bashir lied and maintained the lie until he realised that it was no longer sustainable. This was most reprehensible behaviour which casts considerable doubt on his credibility generally."

According to Hello!, Bashir later released a statement in response to the report, saying,

"I apologised then, and I do so again now, over the fact that I asked for bank statements to be mocked up. It was a stupid thing to do and was an action I deeply regret."

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Martin Bashir blamed racism for the controversy following his 1995 interview

According to The Guardian, in an email dated July 20, 2020, Martin Bashir wrote to Robert Seatter, the head of BBC History, that the interview would have caused less controversy if a “dynastic” journalist such as David Dimbleby had been involved. He wrote,

“I am sorry to hear that this so-called ‘forgery’ story has reared its head again. It played no part in the interview but did allow professional jealousy, particularly within the corporation, to hang its hat on alleged wrongdoing. It would have been so much easier if one of the dynastic families (Dimbleby et al) had done it!”

Martin Bashir also claimed that his status as "a second-generation immigrant of non-white, working-class roots" irritated people who were stunned by his boldness in entering the Royal Palace and conducting an interview.