'Lord Mandelson may have lost power, but he appears to retain a remarkable degree of control over the BBC.
Mandrake hears that the former business secretary has been given a veto over a fly-on-the-wall documentary about him by Hannah Rothschild, the sister of his close friend Nat Rothschild.
Excerpts were due to be broadcast at the Hay literary festival, but the screening was cancelled.
"Hannah Rothschild's film The Real PM: A Portrait of the Real Peter Mandelson has been withdrawn on the insistence of the subject," said the organisers.
The peer cancelled the showing, I understand, because a separate interview with him had not yet been recorded.
"He wants to nuance the final version as much as possible, so has insisted that nothing can be shown until he is certain that it will include an interview with him," I am told.
It can be disclosed that the BBC agreed a contract with Miss Rothschild this month after the documentary was rejected by Channel Four executives who were concerned about its independence.
The BBC insists that it is adhering to its strict editorial guidelines: "We look forward to showing the film as part of BBC Four's Storyville strand when it's finished." '
Words fail me...
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