Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC, has apologised for an “error of judgment” in the editing of a Donald Trump speech for a Panorama documentary, after the controversy led to the resignations of director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness. In a letter to Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture and media select committee, Shah said the BBC had mishandled an internal review but rejected claims of institutional bias as “simply not true”.
The resignations followed a leaked memo by former adviser Michael Prescott, which criticised the editing of Trump’s speech to suggest he had encouraged the US Capitol attack. Shah acknowledged the edit gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action”. Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC, which said it would respond in due course.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson expressed support for a “strong, independent BBC”, stating it was neither corrupt nor institutionally biased. The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, urged political leaders to defend the BBC from foreign interference, saying it was “extremely concerning” to see the US president pressuring the corporation.
Former Sun editor David Yelland described the departures as a “coup” orchestrated from within, with BBC sources echoing fears of a campaign by political enemies. Shah’s letter noted over 500 complaints had been received since Prescott’s memo was published by the Daily Telegraph.
