The BBC has announced that George Entwistle will succeed Mark Thompson as the Director-General of the BBC with his first priority to prepare the BBC for the review of its Royal Charter.

Entwistle, who is the current Director of BBC Vision, will take over from current Director-General Mark Thompson who announced his intention to leave the BBC in March earlier this year. Thompson will be handing over his duties in the third quarter of 2012.

Thompson commented, “George has a formidable track record as a programme maker and in recent years has also shown his calibre as a leader. I wish him and the BBC every success in the years to come.”

The BBC Trust stated that the next head of the BBC will have to settle for a smaller salary than the £671,000 earned by Thompson, who is expected to stand down from his post after the Paralympics. Thomson has held the role for eight years.