Grade has emerged as the preferred candidate and is seen as the only one with the breadth of experience to take over from Gavyn Davies.
Grade has not only held the Channel 4 chief executive's job, he is also a former controller of BBC One. Currently he is the chairman of lottery operator Camelot and of British film studio group Pinewood-Shepperton.
He might have to give up both of those jobs to take the BBC post, losing a considerable sum in the process, but Grade is a wealthy man who is unlikely to be troubled with having to trade Camelot's £169,000 a year for the BBC's £81,320.
His emergence as the favourite comes ahead of the interviews the six candidates face today.
Yesterday it emerged that Richard Lambert, the former editor of the Financial Times, had not made it to the final shortlist after being tipped by some for the post and endorsed by The Times as the best qualified candidate.
Among the other candidates there has been rumblings about Lord Burns, chairman of Abbey and independent adviser to the government on the BBC charter review process, who is seen as being promoted by former BBC director-general and government adviser Lord Birt.
The Guardian has reported that former BBC vice-chairman Baroness Young of Old Scone and the former broadcaster Lord Watson are also on the shortlist. Others shortlisted for the position are believed to include veteran BBC broadcaster David Dimbleby.
The government hopes to make an appointment by the middle of next month so that the new chair can lead the process to appoint a director-general to replace Greg Dyke.
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