Dame Elan Closs Stephens appointed acting BBC chairwoman

Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been appointed as acting chairwoman of the BBC after Richard Sharp's resignation.

He stepped down earlier this year after breaking rules over dealings with then-PM Boris Johnson ahead of his appointment.

Dame Elan will lead the BBC board from 27 June for 12 months or until a new permanent chair has been appointed, whichever is sooner.

She said the new role was "a huge honour".

• The Richard Sharp report at a glance

She was appointed by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who said Dame Elan had "the unanimous support of the board" and "would provide stability in the leadership of the BBC".

Mr Sharp resigned in April after a report found he created the appearance of a conflict of interest by not fully disclosing his knowledge of Mr Johnson's personal finances.

His position had been scrutinised after it emerged he tried to secure a high-level government meeting for a businessman offering financial help to the former prime minister.

A report - led by barrister Adam Heppinstall KC - found in April that Mr Sharp broke the corporation's rules by not fully disclosing his part in arranging a meeting between Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and Sam Blyth, a distant cousin of Mr Johnson who had offered to support the then-PM financially.

The investigation had been launched after the Sunday Times reported that in 2020 Mr Johnson was offered a loan of up to £800,000 to top up his income.

Mr Sharp, an ex-investment banker and Conservative Party donor, had already applied for the BBC role when he approached Mr Case, and was given the job a few months later.

Dame Elan has been a member of the BBC's governing body since 2010, where she served as the member for Wales when it was the BBC Trust.

She then continued as the Welsh member of the BBC Board and has been the chairwoman of the Wales committee, and from 2019 to 2022 also served as chairwoman of the BBC's commercial subsidiary.

Dame Elan, who lives in Aberystwyth, is a native Welsh speaker and served for two terms as chairwoman of Welsh-language broadcaster S4C between 1998 and 2006.

She will still serve the British Film Institute as a non-executive director of the Imax Cinema in Waterloo and is currently the pro-chancellor and professor emerita in communications and creative industries at Aberystwyth University.

The mother of two, who is also the electoral commissioner for Wales and member of the UK Electoral Commission Board, said there was "much work to be done".

"As a board, we will champion the licence fee-payer across all of the UK, ensure the BBC is a vital partner for the UK creative industries, maintain trust, and drive change to make the BBC fit for a fast-changing media landscape," she said following the announcement.