More must be done to "strengthen" the role of auditors holding the BBC to account after what has been an "annus horribilis" for the corporation, according to Culture Secretary Maria Miller.
She said she wanted a system where the National Audit Office (NAO) was allowed access to the BBC "without hindrance or delay".
In the past two years, auditors from the public spending watchdog have had greater freedom to deal with the BBC but still have to agree subjects in advance with the corporation and do not have the flexibility to react to events.
Speaking to an audience of industry insiders at the Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge, Ms Miller said the appearance of seven senior BBC executives - past and present - before the Commons Public Accounts Committee on Monday was "a grim day for its senior management".
The hearing was called after the latest controversy around executive pay, where £60 million was paid to outgoing executives over an eight-year period, including more than £1 million to former deputy director-general Mark Byford.
Ms Miller said criticism of the BBC Trust - the corporation's governing body - was similar to that previously aimed at the BBC governors.
She said: "This criticism focused on insufficient independence and a lack of clarity over the separation of roles. Does that sound familiar?"
In conclusion, she said: "This has been an annus horribilis for the BBC. But we all know that institutions can recover and come back stronger from years like that. The BBC will bounce back."
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