Re: > punt the guy by any means
The problem is with the word "responsible". Unfortunately and all too frequently, there's a difference between having your name on the door and actually being responsible for the project.
From my admitted long distance view on this, it sounds like as the guy with his name on the door as far as he was able to, he acted responsibly. He warned the BBC that the project was off the rails and needed to be canceled or brought under control. Warnings which were promptly ignored by his superiors who told him to carry on with the existing program. Then when the investigators caught the BBC wasting money, they attempted to shitcan him and put all the blame on him, aka scapegoated him.