MR SMUG STRIKES AGAIN.....

Not for the first time, I`ve e-mailed the BBC. This time, my concern was about the £27,000 paid to `Creative Director` Alan Yentob for `expenses` incurred over the last three years, in addition to his £300,000 annual salary.

The details of his claims are quite extraordinary with the bulk of the claims referring to meals with `celebrities` and BBC staff amounting to £16,830. Other claims include such items as `dry cleaning,` `evening dress` and `accessing e-mail while on location.` There was also a claim for £120 for a cake (!) and £25 for repairing a DVD player in his BBC car, £1200 on taxis in 2006 alone, £743 for `discussions,` a £90 lunch with an `opinion former,` £3.35 for a snack, 67p for a `prop` used in filming and 24p for a phone call.

At least the details are now in the public domain, which is unfortunate for Mr. Yentob`s reputation, for it`s not the first time he has been in trouble. In 2004, he was accused of ferrying his partner and children around in chauffer-driven BBC cars. The subsequent internal probe concluded that he took `insufficient care over some aspects of his affairs.`

Yentob's reputation became even more tarnished after it was revealed that his participation in some of the interviews for `Imagine` had been faked. Yentob has been warned not to do this again, but otherwise not disciplined, much to the disgruntlement of some who have seen more junior staff lose their jobs for lesser misdemeanours.

(Mr Smug)

So, time to write to the BBC and have a moan, I thought. I sent them an e-mail through their `proper channels` only to receive the standard acknowledgement along the lines of `your comments are important to us; they have been noted and passed on to the appropriate department.` Predictable.

The real trouble with the BBC is not only the compulsory licence fee and the arrogance and profligacy which that encourages in people like Yentob, but also - unlike elected bodies like councils or Parliament - there is no democratic comeback with the BBC. It really won`t do and it`s high time it changed. In the meantime, their `Creative Director`s creative accounting seems to go unchallenged. "Alan makes and presents arts programmes, many involving international figures, which includes a degree of travel and research." squawks a BBC spokesman. Yeah, right.