BBC Director-General Tim Davie announced his resignation Sunday following revelations that the network’s flagship investigative program, Panorama, aired doctored footage of President Donald Trump’s January 6 speech.
Davie, who has led the British Broadcasting Corporation for five years, said he was stepping down to take “ultimate responsibility” for recent editorial “mistakes.”
BREAKING: Both the BBC Director General Tim Davie & News CEO Deborah Turness have been forced to resign after the Telegraph exposed them for doctoring Trump’s January 6th speech to make him look like he incited the crowd. pic.twitter.com/nhkTxOZ085
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 9, 2025
His statement was released through the BBC’s press office.
“Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable. While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision,” Davie said.
“Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility,” he added.
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Davie’s resignation was accompanied by the departure of Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, who also announced she would step down amid mounting criticism of the broadcaster’s handling of the footage.
The controversy erupted after internal whistleblowers revealed that Panorama edited together separate sections of President Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech to make it appear as though he encouraged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.
🚨 BREAKING: The BBC was just exposed for DOCTORING President Trump’s Jan 6 speech to make it seem he ENDORSED rioting, per whistleblower
“We’re gonna walk to the Capitol”
DOCTORED: “And FIGHT LIKE HELL!”
ORIGINAL: “And cheer on congressmen and women!” pic.twitter.com/z88mmVhikG…
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 3, 2025
The episode, which aired just one week before the 2024 presidential election, combined two unrelated clips from Trump’s address.
The edited version suggested that the then-president told supporters he would walk with them to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”
According to an internal whistleblower memo obtained by The Telegraph, the program “completely misled” viewers and presented statements Trump “never actually said.”
In the unedited version of the speech, President Trump told the crowd they would march “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
BREAKING: BBC’s director general Tim Davie, and the chief executive of the news division, Deborah Turness, have RESIGNED after it was revealed that BBC EDITED Trump‘s quotes on January 6th to make it look like Trump was calling for an insurrectionpic.twitter.com/uQKfMyP0pf
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 9, 2025
The BBC segment, however, removed the words “peacefully and patriotically,” instead stitching together footage from the beginning of his remarks with another quote nearly an hour later.
The whistleblower report, a 19-page document circulated internally, claimed that senior BBC executives—including members of its editorial board and the broadcaster’s chairman—ignored multiple complaints from staff about the deceptive editing.
The memo stated that the broadcast “undermined trust” in the BBC’s reporting and “compromised journalistic integrity at the highest level.”
Both Davie and Turness faced increasing pressure from lawmakers and the public in recent weeks after the allegations became public.
British regulators have reportedly opened inquiries into the editorial process behind the Panorama episode and the internal handling of staff concerns.
The BBC issued a short statement Sunday acknowledging the resignations and confirming that an internal review into “editorial standards and accountability” was underway.
The corporation did not reference President Trump by name in its public comments.
This is not the first time Davie’s leadership has faced controversy.
The BBC has come under repeated criticism in recent years for its handling of sensitive political and international issues.
In recent weeks alone, the broadcaster was accused of bias in its coverage of the war in Gaza and for its reporting on transgender policy debates.
Davie’s resignation marks one of the most significant leadership shakeups at the BBC in decades.
His successor has not yet been announced, though the broadcaster’s board is expected to appoint an interim director-general while it searches for a permanent replacement.
The fallout from the Panorama episode has raised broader questions about editorial oversight at the BBC and its adherence to impartiality, particularly in coverage involving U.S. politics.
British parliamentary committees have signaled that hearings may be convened to examine whether the state-funded broadcaster breached its charter obligations to accuracy and neutrality.
Shot: Chaser: pic.twitter.com/n0U08PnUJb
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) November 9, 2025
The scandal adds to ongoing scrutiny of major media organizations and their handling of politically charged content in the lead-up to elections.
.@BBCNews is dying because they are anti-Trump Fake News.
Everyone should watch @GBNEWS! pic.twitter.com/bZFFkSATud
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) November 9, 2025
