Skip to main content

Graphic designer who 'forged bank statements that tricked Princess Diana into bombshell interview with Martin Bashir' claims BBC never even took his statement over the scandal

A graphic designer who says he forged bank statements that helped trick Princess Diana into a bombshell interview with Martin Bashir has claimed the BBC never even took his statement over the scandal.

Graphic designer Matt Wiessler has broken his 25-year silence on the scandal, which saw Princess Diana tell-all about her failed marriage to Prince Charles.

Mr Wiessler claims he was ordered by Mr Bashir to create two counterfeit bank statements, which he then used to win over Diana's brother, Earl Spencer as he tried to meet the Princess.

BBC documents last week revealed how Lord Hall of Birkenhead, its former director-general who led an inquiry into the affair as head of news, made Mr Wiessler a scapegoat and reassured BBC governors the designer 'will not work for the BBC again,' the Mail on Sunday reports today.

But Mr Wiessler told The Sunday Mirror he was never interviewed by the BBC over the scandal. 

Princess Diana's interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 shed light on her marriage to Prince Charles, but a scandal broke out as to how Mr Bashir secured the interview. Graphic designer Matt Wiessler says he was asked to create two fake documents to help Mr Bashir

Princess Diana's interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 shed light on her marriage to Prince Charles, but a scandal broke out as to how Mr Bashir secured the interview. Graphic designer Matt Wiessler says he was asked to create two fake documents to help Mr Bashir

The father-of-three, who worked at the BBC for a decade, is telling-all about the scandal in a series of interviews with ITV.

The interviews shed some light on how Martin Bashir was able to secure a bombshell interview with Princess Diana, during which she revealed how both her and Prince Charles had had affairs.

Details emerged on Friday of claims made by Mr Bashir to secure the interview.

Handwritten notes taken by Earl Spencer of his meeting with the journalist and Diana in 1995 were revealed by the Daily Mail on Friday.

Claims allegedly made by Mr Basihr led to an interview with Princess Diana for the BBC's Panorama, where she said there were 'three people,' in her marriage to Prince Charles (pictured together in 1981)

Claims allegedly made by Mr Basihr led to an interview with Princess Diana for the BBC's Panorama, where she said there were 'three people,' in her marriage to Prince Charles (pictured together in 1981)

They showed how the BBC claimed the Princess's private correspondence was being opened, her car tracked and her phone tapped.

The records also state that he falsely claimed that the Queen was 'a comfort eater' with 'heart problems' and that Prince Edward was having treatment for Aids at the Royal Marsden Hospital.  

Mr Wiessler told ITV that he has finally agreed to speak out 'because I'm this guy that's remembered for forging the document and I want to clear my name'.

In October 1995, he was asked by Mr Bashir to urgently mock up two bank statements for him. Reconstructing documents for Panorama was not unusual, but Bashir needed the work completed overnight and did not say what they were for.

'I got a phone call from Martin Bashir and he wanted me to do a favour for him and it was really urgent and really important,' says Mr Wiessler.

Martin Bashir is said to have used fake documents to gain the trust of Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer

Martin Bashir is said to have used fake documents to gain the trust of Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer 

'Martin said that they really, really, really had to be done by the morning as he needed them at Terminal Two. 

'He said: 'I need to show them to someone.' It's almost like he was inventing it as he was going along.' 

The fake statements purported to show that Earl Spencer's head of security Alan Waller was receiving money from a newspaper group and a mysterious offshore company.

That was false and it is now known that Mr Bashir showed Earl Spencer the fakes to help gain his trust.

At the time, Mr Wiessler was in the dark, but he soon started to become suspicious, not least because one of the names used on the documents had appeared in previous Panorama programmes.

Mr Wiessler said: 'All I want is for the BBC to come forward and honestly make an apology because it's had a huge impact.'

A source close to the graphic designer told The Mirror: 'He has been bitterly angry because he's had to suck it up all his life.

'He had to give up graphic design. A man at the top of his game in TV graphics lost everything. The only winner out of that interview was Bashir. Diana lost and so did Wiessler.'

MailOnline has approached the BBC for comment. 

The devastating testimony of the artist paid by BBC to fake documents

My name is Matthew Wiessler and I worked for BBC News and Current Affairs as a graphic designer between October 1985 and October 1995.

In October 1995 I was asked to reconstruct some documents by Mr Martin Bashir, a reporter on Panorama. Reconstructing documents was not unusual as I had previously been asked to 'reconstruct' documents for the use of filming on Panorama. At no time did Mr Bashir explain to me what the documents were for.

Mr Bashir visited my home and briefed me in person on exactly what these documents were to contain. He then left me to complete the job alone. I set up the layout for the documents in his presence, following his explicit instructions. The job took me from 9pm that evening to 7am the next morning.

I was recently shown a copy of the document. I can confirm it contained the following details:

The documents were in the form of two pages of a bank statement. The first page, dated March 1994, shows a single credit from News International for £4,000. The second page, dated two months later, shows a single credit of £6,500 from Penfolds Consultants .

The figures I was initially given did not make mathematical sense to me, but after a telephone conversation with Mr Bashir, that was corrected. The bank account statement was from the National Westminster Bank in North Street, Brighton. The account holder was an Alan Waller and Robert Harper, trading as Weider Health and Fitness.

The material was made up from scratch, which involved me reconstructing every element using an Apple Mac desktop computer. I printed it out on a black and white inkjet printer.

On completing these documents, a BBC driver in a car took an envelope addressed to Mr Bashir from my house to Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport.

At the time I stressed to Mr Bashir that this was a personal favour, but that I had to invoice Panorama for a nominal amount of £250.00, an invoice which I submitted several days later and for which I have since been paid.

I thought nothing more of this until several weeks later – around the time of the broadcast of the Bashir interview with Princess Diana – when I discussed it with a producer on Panorama. He was surprised by the inclusion of the name Penfolds on the documents as it was a name we recognised from a previous programme.

Around that time I spoke about the matter to Panorama editor Steve Hewlett, both on the phone and personally. He reassured me that the matter had been settled.

I did nothing more at that stage. Shortly after the Panorama Christmas party in December 1995 I noticed that my backup disks of this work had somehow disappeared.

I decided at that point to tell everything I knew to Tim Gardam, the-then head of weekly programmes, and Tim Suter, managing director of weekly programmes.

They told me that from that point on they would handle the matter and they called in Tony Hall, head of news and current affairs to discuss the matter with him. I expressed real worry as to how my involvement in this matter and my decision to consult them could possibly affect my position as someone who had only just gone freelance. They assured me that there would be no repercussions. At that point I went home.

Later that day I received a call from Tim Gardam reassuring me that they had sorted the matter out. Mr Gardam stressed again that there would be no repercussions for me personally. I have decided to make this statement because I have recently heard rumours which have made me feel uneasy and I wish to set the record straight. 

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o