Ex-BBC boss apologises for £100m digital project waste

Former BBC boss Mark Thompson has apologised for the corporation's failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI) which was scrapped at the cost of nearly £100m of licence fee-payers' money.

The project, to create an integrated digital production and archiving system, was abandoned in May 2013.

Asked about previous evidence, where he said DMI was working well, Mr Thompson told the Public Affairs Committee: "I don't believe I have misled you on any other matter and I don't believe I misled you knowingly on this one."

He said it "failed as a project" and added that he "wanted to say sorry" for the waste of public money.

But he told MPs his previous evidence was "a faithful and accurate account of my understanding of the project at that point".

A report by the National Audit Office said the BBC Executive "did not have sufficient grip" on the IT project and did not properly assess the system to see whether it was "technically sound".