THE BBC has been told to release 3,000 emails on the scandal over Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana.
A legal tribunal judge said the Beeb had been “inconsistent and unreliable” over a Freedom of Information request by journalist Andrew Webb.
He was probing what BBC bosses knew about a 2020 “cover-up”.
Bashir, who got the Panorama interview via deception, quit in 2021.
Judge Brian Kennedy has now ordered the BBC to release the emails.
In a statement, the BBC accepted mistakes were made and said it is considering the judgment.
READ MORE ON PRINCESS DIANA
Diana's brother Earl Spencer said: “We know there are 38 emails between Bashir and senior people at the BBC in the autumn of 2020.”
The Earl, 59, added: “My suspicion is that they were cooking up a story to try and make him unavailable during a time of particular interest in Diana's interview, which was the 25th anniversary.
“It's about people who are still in power in the BBC who have taken decisions that I question, and the judge has certainly questioned.
“I believe the BBC should be guarded by responsible senior figures and not hidden behind to protect their careers.”