Dear Sir or Madam,

Freedom of Information request

I would like to request any communications between any employees of
the BBC and any employees of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
during the period from 28 September 2006 to 11 September 2007.

I would also like to request any internal communications between
staff at the BBC about communications between the BBC and the RSC,
or the subjects of these communications,
for the same period.

My definition of communications includes, but is not limited to,
emails, letters, records of telephone conversations, phone
messages, memos and minutes of meetings.

Please don't think I'm being presumptuous and trying to tell you
how to do your job, but my understanding of how FOI requests are
dealt with is as follows.

Under the FOI Act, people can have information that takes up to 18
hours to find, for free. This is called the appropriate limit. (Any
time taken to physically blank out details if an exemption applies
cannot be included in calculating the 18 hours.) If it takes longer
than this the request is either refused or the requester has to
pay.

I want to avoid either of these outcomes. Therefore should you
estimate that it will take over 18 hours to answer my request
please can you let me know. Please could you explain what types of
information are available and give me a breakdown of how long you
estimate it would take to provide all of the information of each
type e.g. emails, minutes etc. I can then identify what information
I want from this breakdown so that I can resubmit a narrowed down
request.

Thank you for your help. I look forward to hearing from you within
the time limit set out in the FOI Act of 20 working days.

Yours faithfully,

Annie Wilkes

Dear

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, which was received on 03/11/2008. We shall deal
with your request as promptly as possible and, at the latest, within 20
working days. If you have any queries about your request please contact
us at the address below.

The reference number for your request is RFI20081191.

Kind regards.

The Information Policy and Compliance Team BBC Freedom of Information

Room 2252, BBC White City, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, UK

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FOI Enquiries would like to recall the message, "RFI20081191 -
acknowledgement".

[1]http://www.bbc.co.uk
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views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated.
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Dear Ms Wilkes

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, which was received on 03/11/2008. We shall deal
with your request as promptly as possible and, at the latest, within 20
working days. If you have any queries about your request please contact
us at the address below.

The reference number for your request is RFI20081191.

Kind regards.

The Information Policy and Compliance Team BBC Freedom of Information

Room 2252, BBC White City, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, UK

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Dear Ms Wilkes

Please find attached a letter in relation to your request for information,
reference RFI20081191

<<RFI20081191 - clarification needed.pdf>>

Yours sincerely
Rachel Hallett

BBC Information Policy and Compliance
Room 2252, White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS, UK

Website: [1]www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [2]mailto:[BBC request email]
Tel: 020 8008 2883
Fax: 020 8008 2398

[3]http://www.bbc.co.uk
This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal
views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated.
If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system.
Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in
reliance on it and notify the sender immediately.
Please note that the BBC monitors e-mails sent or received.
Further communication will signify your consent to this.

References

Visible links
1. file://www.bbc.co.uk/foi
2. mailto:[BBC request email]
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Dear Ms Hallett

Thank you for your response.

I would like to clarify my request as suggested.

The names of the BBC employees referred to in my request are
Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, Julie T Gardner (who produced
Doctor Who at BBC Wales), Jane Tranter and Peter Fincham. I would
also like any emails from the contracts department. (I don't know
the official name of this department or who works in it.)

The subject of the emails is David Tennant going off to act at the
RSC.

I would also like to extend the period of my request to 5 October
2007.

I hope you can help me with my request. Thanks again.

Yours sincerely,

Annie Wilkes

Dear Ms Hallett

I sent you the following clarification to my request on 9 November
2008.

"Dear Ms Hallett

Thank you for your response.

I would like to clarify my request as suggested.

The names of the BBC employees referred to in my request are
Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, Julie T Gardner (who produced
Doctor Who at BBC Wales), Jane Tranter and Peter Fincham. I would
also like any emails from the contracts department. (I don't know
the official name of this department or who works in it.)

The subject of the emails is David Tennant going off to act at the
RSC.

I would also like to extend the period of my request to 5 October
2007.

I hope you can help me with my request. Thanks again.

Yours sincerely,

Annie Wilkes"

I have sent it to you again because I'm not sure if you received it
because the status of my request on the What Do They Know website
is Awaiting Clarification, even though I did send you the
clarification.

Please could you confirm receipt of this email and let me know the
revised deadline for your response, so that I know that you've
received my clarification this time.

Thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Annie Wilkes

Dear Ms Wilkes

Thank you for your email - I confirm that we did receive your
clarification and are working on your request. I apologise that no
acknowledgement was sent to let you know that the clarification had been
received by us.

The response should be with you no later than 3rd December.

Yours sincerely
Rachel Hallett

BBC Information Policy and Compliance
Room 2252, 2nd Floor, White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS, UK

Website: www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: mailto:[BBC request email]
Tel: 020 8008 2883
Fax: 020 8008 2398

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Dear Ms Wilkes

Please find attached the response to your request for information,
reference RFI20081191

<<RFI20081191 - final response.pdf>>
<<RFI20081191 - disclosure documents.pdf>>

Yours sincerely
Rachel Hallett

BBC Information Policy and Compliance
Room 2252, White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS, UK

Website: [1]www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [2]mailto:[BBC request email]
Tel: 020 8008 2883
Fax: 020 8008 2398

[3]http://www.bbc.co.uk
This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal
views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated.
If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system.
Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in
reliance on it and notify the sender immediately.
Please note that the BBC monitors e-mails sent or received.
Further communication will signify your consent to this.

References

Visible links
1. file://www.bbc.co.uk/foi
2. mailto:[BBC request email]
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Dear Ms Hallett

RE: Freedom of Information Request - RFI20081191

Thank you for your reply to my FOI request and the information
supplied.

I would just like to clarify a couple of things. How did you
interpret the phrase "David Tennant going off to act at the RSC"?
Did you interpret it in the strictest sense that David Tennant
wasn't "going off to act at the RSC" until he and/or his agent had
officially signed a contract with the RSC. Or did you interpret it
in the sense that I meant it i.e. any contact or discussion at all
about even the possibility of David Tennant going to act for the
RSC, right from the moment the idea was floated and before it was
finalised.

If you did interpret it in the strict sense then please can you
re-examine the information and identify any additional information
that falls within my clarified definition that may have been
missed. I would like the same time period 28 September 2006 to 5
October 2007.

I apologise that I did not make my meaning crystal clear in the
first place. I don't know if this means there will have to be a
formal review or not; I will leave it up to you.

Secondly, there was a blank on one of the emails you sent me, where
the words "not relevant" were written. Please can I have whatever
was blanked out. If I have to make a separate additional FOI
request then please accept this as one.

Thanks again for all your help.

Yours sincerely,

Annie Wilkes

Dear Ms Wilkes

Please find attached a letter in response to your email below.

Yours sincerely
Rachel Hallett

BBC Information Policy and Compliance
Room 2252, 2nd Floor, White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS, UK

Website: www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: mailto:[BBC request email]
Tel: 020 8008 2883
Fax: 020 8008 2398

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