Bruised BBC faces change after hard-fought inquiry

Emerging from a damaging inquiry that has gripped Britain, the BBC can be sure of one thing as it surveys the wreckage - it will never be the same again.

The British broadcaster, lauded around the world for its gold-standard reporting, has spent the summer defending its reputation in a high-profile investigation into the death of a weapons expert. Insiders say it will not survive untouched.

A verdict is not expected for several weeks but Auntie, as the BBC is fondly referred to in Britain, is plotting a wide-ranging shake-up to defuse criticism that might be meted out by Lord Hutton, the judge leading the inquiry.

"Neither the BBC nor the government will come out of the Hutton washing machine whiter than white," said Jamie Cowling, a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research.

"There is no question the BBC will have to change". That change could include sacrificial lambs, others said. At the very least, Mr Andrew Gilligan - the journalist behind the report at the centre of the inquiry - is expected to be axed from the BBC's agenda-setting Today radio programme.

Mr Gilligan sparked a furore by accusing Tony Blair's government of embellishing the case for war on Iraq. Mr Gilligan's source, weapons expert David Kelly, subsequently killed himself.

The 81-year-old institution argues the broad thrust of its report was accurate but admits it made mistakes and is now under pressure to tighten editorial guidelines and management lines.

The BBC, publicly funded and overseen by a chairman appointed by the state, is no stranger to political spats and has gone to great lengths to prove its independence and take on a more aggressive edge in an increasingly competitive market.

But insiders say it is time for a culture change. The inquiry comes at a key time as the broadcaster gears up for a battle over its future, with its charter up for renewal.