Heroes of Socialist Broadcasting

Following on from our Christmas Best Seller - the BBC Happy Lefty Family Snap game - BBC Pioneers are embarking on an altogether more serious and weighty task.

For many years, countless dedicated party supporters have kept our parent organisation going with their selfless and unstinting efforts.

We've decided their services to the cause should be publicly honoured - and we're proud to announce :-

The BBC Pioneers Hero of Socialist Broadcasting Award.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be giving the award to deserving BBC employees - past and present, at all levels in the organisation - who have gone out of their way to advance the cause and take us onwards to the great socialist paradise that awaits.

We're starting off today at the very top of the tree with a brace of BBC Chairmen - the people responsible for standing above the day-to-day management fray and representing the consumers' interests by ensuring that the BBC's strict charter of impartiality is observed without fear or favour.

Gavin Davies - BBC Chairman 2001 - 2004

Gavin Davies was appointed vice chairman of the BBC in 2001 and became chairman from 2001 to 2004

He had been a lifelong Labour party member and financial supporter but resigned his membership upon becoming chairman.

From 1974 to 1979 he worked as an adviser to two Labour governments.

From 1992 to 1997 he was an adviser to the Chancellor Gordon Brown. Gavin Davies is a close personal friend of Brown and his wife, Sue Nye, is Brown's private secretary.

Sir Michael Lyons - Current BBC Chairman

Sir Michael Lyons was chosen in 2007 by the Labour Government to be chairman of the new BBC Trust - set up to represent the interests of licence fee payers.

Before that he had been paid around £500,000 by the Government to carry out three studies for Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Prior to that he was a Labour local politician, sitting as a Labour councillor in several authorities and as Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council.

In 2004 he was asked whether he was still a Labour Party member - but declined to answer.

In our next item we'll be featuring a clutch of Directors General - and after that a gaggle of spin doctors.

Meanwhile - any suggestions of awards for tireless little BBC stakhanovites who may be labouring unseen and unappreciated will be seriously considered.