The Director-General is chief executive and (from 1944) editor-in-chief of the BBC. The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust.

• Sir John Reith (1927-1938)
• Sir Frederick Ogilvie (1938-1942)
• Sir Cecil Graves and Robert W. Foot (joint Directors-General, 1942-1943)
• Robert W. Foot (1942-1944)
• Sir William Haley (1944-1952)
• Sir Ian Jacob (1952-1959)
• Sir Hugh Greene (1960-1969)
• Sir Charles Curran (1969-1977)
• Sir Ian Trethowan (1977-1982)
• Alasdair Milne (1982-1987)
• Sir Michael Checkland (1987-1992)
• John Birt (1992-2000)
• Greg Dyke (2000 - January 29, 2004)
• Mark Byford (Acting Director-General, January 29, 2004 - June 21, 2004)
• Mark Thompson (June 22, 2004 - )

External links

• The BBC press office's biographical list of its Directors General