BBC snooped on staff emails 73 times last year amid internal leak inquiries

By MATTHEW DAVIS FOR MAIL ON SUNDAY Published: 21:15, 8 August 2026 | Updated: 21:15, 8 August 2026 BBC investigators have accessed a record number of staff email accounts during one of the most turbulent periods in the corporation's history. Figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday show that in 2025 the broadcaster probed email accounts 73 times, compared with just 42 incidents the previous year.  The rise was partly driven by a hike in the number of accounts being accessed due to internal leak inquiries. There were ten such incidents in 2025, double the number of 2024.  The BBC refused to reveal which incidents were behind the email probes, but 2025 saw it lurch through a series of crises, several triggered by leaks. Director-general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness both resigned in November after a leaked internal memo revealed concerns that an episode of Panorama had misleadingly edited a speech by Donald Trump. The BBC also faced controversies over its MasterChef presenters, its Gaza coverage, and the broadcast of a Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury in which the band led chants against the Israeli military. It is not known whether any of these events triggered the email inquiries. Over the past five years the public service broadcaster has monitored staff email accounts 242 times. Twenty-seven of these incidents related to leak inquiries. Another 54 related to internal disciplinary proceedings – such as when a staff member is accused of harassing a fellow employee – and 21 related to criminal investigations by the authorities. Former BBC Director-General Tim Davie was at the helm of the corporation when 73 email accounts were probed Deborah Turness, pictured, resigned as the BBC's news chief following the Donald Trump Panorama documentary scandal  People walking towards the entrance of Broadcasting House in London, pictured on November 10, 2025 The largest single category, accounting for 127 cases over five years, was legal work, which the BBC says includes searching email accounts to respond to litigation, information requests and to access requests from staff wanting to see what information the corporation holds on them. Isabelle Bettis, of whistleblowing charity Protect, said: 'When concerns do end up in the media, the question organisations should ask is whether their staff trust internal reporting processes enough to use them.' A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC accesses staff email accounts only in exceptional circumstances, and only when it is reasonable, necessary, and proportionate to do so, with staff fully aware of this policy. 'The increase in 2025 was driven by a higher number of Freedom of Information requests, which require searches for relevant information, including staff email accounts where appropriate.'