THE BBC has named George Entwistle as its new Director General, making him one of the most powerful people in broadcasting.

The announcement comes after a fiercely-contested selection process which concluded with a second round of interviews yesterday.

The final shortlist for the role is thought to have also included BBC Vision director Mr Entwistle, BBC chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, and the Ofcom chief executive, Ed Richards.

A senior BBC journalist from Ipswich had previously been in the running for the top role at the corporation.

Former Northgate High School pupil Helen Boaden, 56, who runs the BBC’s local, national and international news services, had been tipped by industry experts for the high-profile post earlier in the year.

The race for the top job was sparked when director general Mark Thompson, who took over from Greg Dyke in 2004, told staff in March he would be leaving the corporation in the autumn.