‘There Have Been Some Mistakes Made’: Two Top BBC Officials Resign Over Trump Documentary Edits

BBC Director General Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resigned Monday following allegations that a Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing President Donald Trump’s speech about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

“Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility,” Davie said in his resignation statement.

The Telegraph reported that a leaked internal BBC memo revealed the documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?” edited two parts of Trump’s speech together to make him appear to explicitly encourage the Capitol Hill riots. The memo came from Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the broadcaster’s editorial standards committee who left his role in June.

Turness said the controversy “has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC.” (RELATED: Leaked Dossier Accuses BBC Of Doctoring Trump’s January 6 Speech In Documentary: REPORT)

“The buck stops with me,” she added, confirming she offered her resignation Saturday.

🚨 BREAKING: The BBC’s news CEO and Director General just RESIGNED after being exposed for deceptively EDITING President Trump’s Jan 6th speech pic.twitter.com/fE8pzX2rX6

They CUT when he said “cheer on congressman” and had him say “fight like HELL” — slashing out important context…

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 9, 2025

Davie spent 20 years with the corporation and became director general in September 2020. He previously survived multiple scandals during his tenure, earning him the nickname “Teflon Tim.” Turness joined BBC News as CEO in 2022, overseeing a team of approximately 6,000 people.

BBC Chair Samir Shah called Monday “a sad day for the BBC” and thanked both officials for their service. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy praised Davie for leading the organization “through a period of significant change.”

The resignations come at a critical time for the BBC. The government plans to review the corporation’s royal charter before its current term expires in 2027.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the news by posting screenshots of articles side by side on X with the words “shot” and “chaser.” She previously called the BBC “100% fake news” in response to the documentary.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage demanded “wholesale change” at the BBC, warning that failure to reform could lead to widespread refusal to pay the license fee.