Kevin Bakhurst to be next RTÉ director general

Kevin Bakhurst will take over from Dee Forbes in July

The Irish broadcasting organisation RTÉ has appointed a former senior BBC News editor, Kevin Bakhurst, as its new director general.

The decision was signed off by the Irish government on Tuesday.

Kevin Bakhurst will take over from Dee Forbes in July.

The appointment had been the subject of controversy, but in a statement on Tuesday the chairwoman of RTÉ's board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, said he was the unanimous choice.

It had been believed that the two main contenders for the job were Mr Bakhurst and David McRedmond, the current chief executive of the Irish postal service, An Post, who had been in charge of RTÉ's rival, TV3.

But despite his experience of overseeing massive changes at An Post, Mr McRedmond did not get a second interview.

'Honoured and delighted'

In a statement, Mr Bakhurst said he was "honoured and delighted" to take up the role.

"RTÉ plays a central role in Irish life and has brilliant people dedicated to delivering great and trusted content for audiences," he added.

Kevin Bakhurst was appointed managing director of news and current affairs at RTÉ in 2012, becoming deputy director general for six months before his departure in 2016.

Prior to that he was a senior BBC News executive where he had been controller of the BBC News Channel.

He was also deputy head of the BBC newsroom between 2010 and 2012.

Since then he has worked at the UK communications regulator Ofcom where he was appointed group director of broadcasting and online content.