The BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, has stepped down from his role, alongside news CEO Deborah Turness, following intense scrutiny over a Panorama episode that featured a manipulated clip of a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The resignation came on Sunday evening, just ahead of an anticipated public apology from the broadcaster on Monday regarding impartiality concerns. The episode in question, titled *Trump: A Second Chance?*, aired the week before last year’s U.S. presidential election.
It included edited footage from Trump’s January 6, 2021, address, splicing together segments to suggest he had told supporters he would march with them to the U.S. Capitol and “fight like hell.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the news on social media, sharing screenshots of articles—one showing Trump’s past criticism of the BBC labeled “shot,” and another about Davie’s resignation labeled “chaser.”
She had previously condemned the edit as “purposefully dishonest” and “selectively” manipulated, telling The Telegraph that it proved the BBC was “total, 100% fake news” unworthy of airtime in the UK.
The controversy was first highlighted by The Telegraph, referencing a memo from Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee.
In his resignation statement, Davie said he bore “ultimate responsibility” for the incident due to his leadership position.
He described the decision to leave as entirely his own, thanked the BBC’s chair and board for their consistent support during his tenure, and praised the organization as holding “unique value” while acknowledging it is “not perfect” and must remain transparent and accountable. Davie assumed the director-general role in September 2020.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed gratitude for Davie’s leadership, noting he had guided the BBC through a time of major transformation and addressed key challenges.
Political reactions were divided along partisan lines. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage hailed the resignation as a potential catalyst for “wholesale change,” urging the government to appoint a private-sector executive experienced in cultural turnarounds and public relations.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the BBC to use the moment to restore public trust and resist pressures from figures like Farage, whom he accused of seeking to undermine the broadcaster.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the departures but insisted the issues went beyond two individuals, describing a “catalogue of serious failures” and “institutional bias” uncovered by the Prescott report, which demanded comprehensive reforms.
The incident has reignited broader debates about the BBC’s impartiality, with accusations of bias coming from various political quarters in recent years.
