Martin Bashir claimed criticism of his Diana interview was due to racism: BBC reveals scandalous email in which presenter whines about his 'non-white working-class roots' causing 'jealousy' – but company EDITS key parts sparking fear of cover-up cause

Martin Bashir blamed his 'non-white' status at the BBC for the scandal over his interview with Diana, documents revealed last night.

The former star reporter claimed racism led to the “professional jealousy” he said was behind the row over the Panorama scoop in which the princess famously declared “there are three of us in this marriage.”

Bashir claimed in a 2020 email released yesterday that there was “irritation” at the BBC that “a second-generation immigrant with non-white working-class roots should have the audacity to enter a royal palace.”

He said “it would have been so much easier” if one of the “dynastic” Dimbleby brothers had conducted the 1995 interview with the troubled princess.

The BBC was plunged into a cover-up crisis last night when it finally published a dossier of internal Bashir emails covered in black censor ink.

Campaigners, including Diana's brother Earl Spencer, believe the redacted passages mean the broadcaster is hiding potentially explosive revelations. The organization is accused of concealing what executives knew about Bashir's scandalous behavior in obtaining his famous interview.

Bashir claimed in an email released yesterday that there was “irritation” that “a second-generation immigrant with non-white working-class roots would have the audacity to enter a royal palace”

The BBC has spent more than £200,000 on a legal battle to keep the dossier secret – fighting a freedom of information request from journalist and filmmaker Andy Webb for two and a half years.

The company urged Judge Brian Kennedy QC that the emails were simply 'irrelevant'. But after that excuse was rejected by the judge – who ordered the documents made public and blasted the BBC's “inconsistent, erroneous and unreliable” handling of Mr Webb's request – the broadcaster handed over the files yesterday too late. Yet key passages have been blotted out in black ink, while dozens of other pages have been left completely blank save for the words “completely withheld.” The BBC argued that it had a duty to protect what it called 'personal information'.

But Mr Webb said: 'I am surprised that the BBC assured Judge Kennedy that all this material is 'irrelevant'. A simple glance will tell you that this is not true.

'With literally thousands of editors, it is currently impossible to determine who said what to whom. But I'm sure that will become apparent in the long run.

'And the release of the material by the BBC was completely chaotic. Whether that's a fabrication or a conspiracy, who knows.'

Judge Kennedy ruled that the BBC had until 5pm yesterday to hand over the cache of documents.

But as the deadline passed, only some parts of the file became available. Confusion ensued behind the scenes as BBC executives were unable to say why the tribunal's order had not been followed and whether the corporation was at risk of being found in contempt of court. Ultimately, all files were released.

They included a note sent by Bashir to a BBC historian in July 2020, discussing the situation. Bashir said he believed his 'non-white' status had led to jealousy within the BBC.

The series of internal emails dates back to a three-month period in autumn 2020, when the BBC was tackling the Bashir crisis under director general Tim Davie.

Pictured: The Prince and Princess of Wales at Buckingham Palace after their wedding in Westminster Abbey on July 29, 1981

The front page of the Daily Mail, the day after Princess Diana's shocking Panorama interview

It was during the interview that the Princess sensationally said: 'There were three of us in the wedding so it was a bit busy' (Image: Daily Mail report, November 21, 1995)

In October that year, the Mail revealed shocking details of how Bashir had lied and conned his way into landing his 1995 Panorama interview with the princess. Watched by 23 million people, it was hailed as the first of a generation. But Bashir had spun a web of deceit to deceive Diana and her brother with ridiculous smears about senior royals in order to gain her trust.

He used forged bank statements and lied that MI6 had recorded that Prince Charles was planning the 'end game', and that Prince William's watch had been tapped, all aimed at gaining the vulnerable princess's trust.

The full extent of Bashir's deception only came to light when the BBC was forced to release a 67-page dossier of memos and minutes from 1995 and 1996 at Mr Webb's request. But Mr Webb believed the BBC had still not released all its incriminating evidence and made more requests for files.

At the time of the BBC's Bashir crisis in 2020, the BBC insisted it could not question its journalist about the scandal due to his ill health, but emails later revealed executives were in daily contact with him.

Last night the BBC said: 'Throughout this process we have taken our responsibilities to follow the tribunal's directions very seriously.

'That is why today we have released approximately 3,000 documents – approximately 10,000 pages – to Mr Webb. This latest revelation includes many hundreds of pages of duplicates and material unrelated to the 1995 Panorama, yet discovered by the electronic searches.

“We have made redactions where necessary, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. There is nothing to support allegations that the BBC acted in bad faith in 2020 and we continue to maintain that this suggestion is simply wrong.

'We have worked to provide relevant material throughout this lengthy process, which has involved extensive archival and archival research spanning almost thirty years. We have also apologized if errors were made and have taken extensive steps to correct these errors.

'The BBC commissioned Lord Dyson to conduct an independent investigation so that he could gain a full picture of what happened in 1995 – including by obtaining any additional material that people other than the BBC might have in their possession.'

Pictured: Prince Charles, Princess Diana and their children watch veterans as they march past on a stage on The Mall as part of the VJ Day commemorations in August 1995

Martin Bashir was found to have shown Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, false bank statements to gain access to the family

'The BBC has provided all relevant documentation held by the BBC to the Lord Dyson inquiry. Other individuals involved in these events also provided written material to Lord Dyson, which is detailed in the report. This was published in 2021 and the findings were fully accepted by the BBC.”

On the issue of the deadline, a spokesperson said: 'The process to transfer this material began well in advance of the deadline and the files were transferred as quickly as possible.'

Additional reporting: VANESSA ALLEN and INDERDEEP BAINS