Tony Hall is BBC's new director-general The BBC Trust has appointed Tony Hall, a former BBC head of news and currently chief executive of the Royal Opera House, as the next director-general of the national broadcaster. Lord Hall's appointment on Thursday, following the departure earlier this month of George Entwistle in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, marks the end of a rapid search conducted by the BBC Trust, the broadcaster's governing body. The trust met just a week ago to finalise its plans where it resolved to search for an external candidate. Maria Miller, the culture secretary, congratulated Lord Hall and said: "He has a very strong track record in successfully leading iconic organisations. I am pleased the BBC Trust have appointed a new director-general. It is important now that Tony Hall gets to grips quickly - to provide the stability and certainty that the BBC needs, and restore public confidence. Steven Barnett, professor of communications at the University of Westminster, said: "I think it is a wise choice. What George Entwistle's appointment did was to make it likely Lord Patten would be able to exercise influence through the director-general. But now he has fallen on his sword, it makes it more imperative that the DG is someone who is his own person. It makes it less likely he will be guided by a chairman who is clearly more active in terms of being in charge of the BBC than might be desirable in a regulator. Lord Hall is seen as having significant digital expertise, having launched BBC News Online, as well as Radio 5 Live, BBC News 24 and BBC Parliament. He currently serves as deputy chairman of Channel 4. However, his first key challenge will be to stabilise the BBC following widespread criticism of the broadcaster's news judgment. Last December Newsnight, the BBC's flagship current affairs programme, aborted an investigation into Savile sex abuse allegations and earlier this month it broadcast an investigation into allegations against Lord McAlpine, a former Conservative party treasurer, that proved false. According to two people familiar with the selection procedure, Lord Hall was approached for the job earlier this year after the resignation of Mr Entwistle. Although he was considered a serious candidate for the job of director-general then, Lord Hall declined to take the process through to a formal interview because he said he was committed to working on the Cultural Olympiad. Lord Hall's role as chief executive of the Royal Opera House underlined his credentials to meet the trust's desire for the BBC to continue as the cultural powerhouse of the UK. He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2010 and sits as a cross-bencher. One person familiar with the process said that Lord Hall had also declined to take his interest in the director-general job further in the process that saw Mr Entwistle appointed because "he thought it was time for a younger generation to take over." Another insider said: "Six months ago, Tony took the position that the idea of getting somebody younger to do it was the right thing to do. But he changed his mind. That was the right decision six months ago and now I think he has made the right decision again. Insiders say the trust was keen for somebody to guide the BBC through stormy waters, including negotiations for the renewal of its royal charter which will begin in 2014, but not to carry on long after that. It remains to be seen whether the BBC will opt to also appoint a deputy director-general with responsibility for editorial content. The BBC Trust said it would be up Lord Hall to decide how to structure the executive board at the BBC. At a hearing of the culture committee last month, Mr Entwistle was criticised by MPs for a "lamentable lack of knowledge" and a "lack of curiosity" over his failure to probe more deeply into the aborted Newsnight investigation into Savile abuses. Announcing the appointment, which was unanimously agreed by trustees at a meeting on Thursday morning, the BBC Trust's chairman, Lord Patten, said: "While there are still very serious questions to be answered by the ongoing inquiries, it is in the interests of licence fee payers that the BBC now starts to refocus on its main purpose - making great programmes that audiences love and trust. In doing this it will need to take a long, hard look at the way it operates and put in place the changes required to ensure it lives up to the standards that the public expects. Tony Hall is the right person to lead this and I am delighted that he is taking on this role. He also highlighted Lord Hall's background in news as important given the current challenges facing the BBC. "Perhaps most importantly, given where we now find ourselves, his background in news will prove invaluable as the BBC looks to rebuild both its reputation in this area and the trust of audiences," Lord Patten said. Lord Hall said: "This organisation is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is. And of course it matters not just to people in this country - but to tens of millions around the world too. Lord Hall will receive a salary of £450,000 per year, the same as was paid to his predecessor, Mr Entwistle. Professor Jean Seaton, the official historian of the BBC, said Lord Hall was the oldest of the 17 directors general since 1927, at 61. Sir Ian Trethowan, DG from 1977 to 1982, was 55 when he took office. But Prof Seaton also said she was certain Lord Hall would have to address the problem of having a vote in the House of Lords, which she said was incompatible with being DG, especially in a time leading up to charter renewal, when he might be called upon to vote on media-related legislation.