As long as the appointment process is transparent and there is a broad mix of political views among the governors of the BBC, I think the public can feel confident that impartiality and independence are just as important to me as they have been to previous incumbents.

The BBC should not have a cheerleader. It should have somebody who runs the organisation in the interests of the public and that should be a chairman.

I want the BBC to be a mass market public service broadcaster still funded by the licence fee... and the licence fee is more durable than many people in the commercial sector believe.

Almost everyone will find something in our services worth paying for.

God is the place where I do not remember the rest.

We as humans are so imperfect. We are always looking for something more and always going astray from Jesus. Whether you believe in him or not, but he is always there with open arms. God never abandons you. He is always waiting for you to come back and when you do, you won't be scolded - you will be embraced.

I don't feel superior because I think there's no God. Actually, I would love to be able to go, 'Well, the world hasn't been kind to me, but there's something good around the corner, because the Man has a plan.' I wish I believed that. There's wonderful comfort in that.

I felt like the luckiest kid in the world because God had put me on the ground in Texas. I actually felt sorry for those poor little kids that had to be born in Oklahoma or England or some place. I knew I was living in the best place in the world.