Ian Jacob

Sir (Edward) Ian Claud Jacob GBE CB was Director-General of the BBC from 1952 to 1959, succeeding Sir William Haley and giving way to Sir Hugh Greene.

From a military background, Sir Ian has often been blamed (but has conversely sometimes been praised) for a perceived overt middle-class bias and somewhat "stuffy" attitude in the BBC of the 1950s, which became a factor in its loss of TV audiences to ITV from 1955 onwards.

However, BBC Television in the 50s did broadcast some popular American series, notably The Phil Silvers Show (or Sergeant Bilko as it was almost universally known).

Preceded by: William Haley 1944-1952

Director-General of the BBC 1952-1959

Followed by: Hugh Greene 1960-1969

During World War II he was Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet, often accompanying Sir Winston Churchill on tours of the Middle East and Turkey, Cyprus & Tripoli,