The Man Behind Princess Diana Panorama Interview Is Now Getting Paid
By TheBlast Staff on October 10, 2021 at 3:45 AM EDT
Imagine this, the man who was actually instrumental in tricking Princess Diana into giving the infamous panorama interview has actually now come to an agreement with the BBC. He’s set to receive an undisclosed amount in compensation from the media company that he aided to get the interview. If he was part of the process of tricking Princess Diana, why is he getting cash for his involvement? It’s all a bit of a tricky situation that we’re going to explain below!
The Man Is Matt Weissler A Graphic Designer
The man’s name is Matt Wiessler; he worked as a graphic designer for the BBC back in 1995. Allegedly, he was the man that Martin Bashir tasked with creating the false bank statements. That in turn Bashir and his team would present to Diana and Charles Spencer as proof of yet another Prince Charles affair. Ultimately, this blackmailing technique led to Diana accepting an interview with the famous “Panorama” program. Wiessler must have been great at his job to be able to produce credible documents in 1995. For all those wondering, yes Photoshop was around in 1995. The computer program certainly didn’t include all of the features that you can use in the 2021 version!
If He Was In On It Why Is He Getting Cash?
What supposedly happened was that Weissler came clean about the fact that Bashir asked him to create the false documents right after the original interview aired in 1995. At the time Weissler's confession was pretty much brushed aside by executives at the BBC. After all, the show that Weissler had essentially helped produce was watched by 23 million people in the UK on its first emission. The folks at the BBC didn’t really care what kind of sketchy tactics were used by Bashir to be able to get the interview.
Clearing His Good Name
After the recent legal fallout that has recently taken place surrounding the interview and the events that led to it Matt Wiessler decided to sue the BBC. On the grounds that his involvement in the interview had caused great damage to his personal image. Plus, although information on the matter is hard to come by, apparently Wiessler consistently complained to his bosses at the BBC of the “immoral” work that he was being asked to do. His lawyer Louis Charalambou mentioned in a statement,
"Mr. Wiessler is relieved that the BBC has now matched the Director General's fulsome apologies with appropriate financial compensation for the wrongs done to him and the profound impact they had on his and his family's life."
Is The BBC Done Paying Those Affected By The Interview?
There have been a couple of settlements announced by the BBC 5 months after former High Court judge Lord John Dyson concluded that Bashir breached the BBC's editorial guidelines in the process of securing the interview. The graphic designer that made the banknotes to deceive Princess Diana, joins a former royal nanny on the list of people that the BBC has had to settle with over moral, or non-material damages as a result of the infamous interview. It’s not clear if other individuals could be entitled to receive compensation over this issue. What is clear is that the man who orchestrated the whole event, Martin Bashir, is getting off easy!
