Lord Patten set to become BBC Trust chairman
Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong, has been named as the government's preferred choice to succeed Sir Michael Lyons as chairman of the BBC Trust.
The only thing standing between the 66-year-old and the chairmanship is a pre-appointment hearing with the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee next month.
In a statement the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "The Committee's conclusions will be considered carefully before deciding whether or not to proceed."
Patten, the chancellor of Oxford University, has been hotly-tipped to take the four-day a week role, which comes with a salary of £110,000 a year, after he was interviewed along with five other candidates last month.
The former Conservative MP and Cabinet minister now looks likely to take the role after being recommended for the post by culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt.
Current chairman Lyons steps down on 30 April.