The shortlist will be drawn from applicants who responded to advertisements in the national press. The list will be further reduced to five and the successor is expected to be appointed in about a month.
The shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by an independent panel, which will make a recommendation to Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary.
Sir Christopher's deputy Gavyn Davies is tipped to be the hot favourite, but his ties with the Labour Party -- his wife Sue Nye runs Gordon Brown's office -- could work against him.
BBC director general Greg Dyke is a former Labour Party donor and the appointment of a Labour-leaning chairman would upset Tory critics.