BBC's top bosses resign over Trump documentary row: All that happened

Tim Davie, who became BBC Director-General in 2020, and News Head Deborah Turness have stepped down after a Panorama episode allegedly misrepresented Trump's 2021 speech

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) chief Tim Davie, who has led the organisation since 2020, resigned as Director-General on Sunday (local time) following backlash over alleged bias and reporting failures.

 

BBC’s Head of News, Deborah Turness, also stepped down amid mounting criticism over a documentary about US President Donald Trump

 

Here’s a look at the controversy that prompted the resignations of the BBC’s top executives.

What happened?

BBC bosses resigned after The Telegraph revealed details from a leaked internal memo about a BBC Panorama documentary. The memo suggested that Panorama edited Trump’s January 2021 speech in a way that made it look like he was urging people to attack the US Capitol.

 

 

The memo was written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, who quit in June. He raised concerns about the documentary 'Trump: A Second Chance?'

The truth behind BBC controversy

In his original speech on January 6, 2021, Trump said, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” But in the Panorama version, it appeared as: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol... and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” 

 

It was noted that those two parts of the speech were actually more than 50 minutes apart. The “fight like hell” line came from a section where Trump spoke about what he called “corrupt” US elections.

 

On January 6, 2021, a mob of violent pro-Trump supporters, who believed the 2020 presidential election results were fraudulent, stormed the US Capitol building as Congress met to ratify the Electoral College results, declaring Joe Biden the next president of the country.

Who is Tim Davie?

Davie, who became BBC director-general in September 2020, is stepping down after 20 years with the corporation. He previously served as CEO of BBC Studios, oversaw the merger of BBC Worldwide and its production arm, and was acting Director-General in 2012–13. Before joining the BBC, he worked at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, and was appointed CBE in 2018 for services to international trade.

 

Turness, BBC News CEO since 2022, led a team of 6,000 people producing news in over 40 languages for nearly half a billion viewers. Before this, she was CEO of ITN, president of NBC News and NBC News International, and the first female editor of ITV News.

Not the first time for 'Teflon Tim'

Davie had faced growing pressure over several controversies and bias claims during his time as BBC Director-General. According to the BBC, over the past five years, he dealt with issues like the Gary Lineker row, Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance, the Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone documentary, and scandals involving BBC presenters. 

 

He earned the nickname 'Teflon Tim' because controversies never seemed to affect him. However, the latest scandal proved too serious even for him.

Trump welcomes the move

Trump welcomed the resignations, posting on Truth Social: “The top people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the boss, are all quitting/FIRED because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th. Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these corrupt ‘journalists.’ What a terrible thing for democracy!”

Resignations at a sensitive time

Their exits of top bosses come as the BBC faces a major government review of its Royal Charter, which is the legal document that acts as the BBC's constitution and is set to expire in 2027.

 

The Royal Charter establishes the corporation's structure, purposes, and obligations. It is renewed every 10 years and sets out the rules for its governance, including the BBC's public mission and its editorial independence.

What happens next

The BBC director-general is the organisation’s top editorial and creative leader, overseeing its global TV, radio, and online services. The BBC Board, led by Chair Samir Shah, will appoint a successor. The director-general is chosen under the BBC’s Royal Charter.