Hackings, sackings and scandal - no wonder Rupert Murdoch's 'depressed'

Rupert Murdoch is "deeply depressed" about the phone-hacking and Sky Sports sexism scandals and is worried they will scupper his £8 billion BSkyB takeover, it is claimed today.

Broadcaster Andrew Neil, founding chairman of the satellite network and former editor of The Sunday Times, said Mr Murdoch was "very angry with his lieutenants in London and thinks the rows have got out of hand".

He told the Evening Standard: "The controversies have poisoned the political atmosphere and Rupert thinks it has ruined his chances with BSkyB so he is taking radical action." Since the 79-year-old arrived in London on Monday, several senior employees at his media companies have been sacked.

News of the World assistant editor Ian Edmondson was dismissed on Tuesday after being linked with phone hacking at the tabloid. The next day, Scotland Yard began a new inquiry into the affair after being passed "significant new information" by the newspaper. Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray left the broadcaster this week after leaked tapes of their sexist comments were put on the internet.

Neil claims the moves were ordered by Mr Murdoch himself in a bid to get the BSkyB takeover back on track. The Australian tycoon is trying to seize full control of the multi-billion-pound network he launched with Neil in 1988.

His News Corporation owns 39.1 per cent of BSkyB but there is huge political pressure on Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to stop Mr Murdoch seizing full control, amid fears he would own too much of Britain's media.

Neil, 61 - who edited one of Mr Murdoch's newspapers, The Sunday Times, for 11 years - said: "The sacking of Ian Edmondson, the Sky Sports people - he's been involved in everything this week. All this action is the last throw of the dice. Rupert is deeply depressed and he thinks the game for BSkyB might be up. He doesn't think it is mission impossible but he now thinks the odds are against him."

Since cancelling his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos to come to London, Murdoch has taken a hands-on role in the day-to-day running of his British media operations. For the first time in years he attended the morning editorial conference at The Times.

Neil said: "He is very angry with his lieutenants in London. He thinks these rows have got out of hand, particularly the News of the World which should have been dealt with years ago.

"Although the phone-hacking and sexism rows are not directly linked to the BSkyB takeover, Rupert thinks they have poisoned the atmosphere with politicians and with Jeremy Hunt.

"The BSkyB business is worth billions to him. He is very angry - he looks back and says it wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him. He knows there are a lot of people wanting to stop him and these rows are a stick to beat him with."

The comments will be seen as a blow to the tycoon's son James, who runs his father's interests in Britain. In 2009 it emerged that James had sanctioned a secret £700,000 pay-off to a victim of phone hacking in a bid to avoid legal action.