A former BBC board member has publicly condemned the corporation's leadership following the high-profile resignations of its top two executives, director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.
A Wave of Resignations Rocks the BBC
Shumeet Banerji announced his departure from the BBC Board on Friday, 21 November 2025. This came less than a fortnight after both Tim Davie and Deborah Turness resigned from their roles, creating a major leadership vacuum at the national broadcaster.
In his full resignation letter, published by MPs on Wednesday, 26 November, Banerji expressed his profound dismay. He stated it was "incomprehensible to me that a board should lose" its chief executive and head of news "in a short period of time… and still hold itself in high regard".
Behind Banerji's Decision to Step Down
Mr Banerji revealed he was "not consulted" about the events that precipitated the departures of Davie and Turness. He made it clear he would not be associated with a board decision made without his input or adequate discussion.
The resignations of Davie and Turness followed a series of scandals, most notably concerning a Panorama episode that selectively edited a speech by former US President Donald Trump. This controversy was amplified by a leaked memo from former external adviser Michael Prescott, which raised significant concerns about impartiality at the BBC.
Banerji noted his surprise upon learning that Turness was informed "that she did not have the confidence of a majority of the board". He argued that Davie would rightly have seen this as "a direct assault on himself as the editor-in-chief and CEO". He did not find Davie's subsequent decision to resign surprising and praised him as an "exceptional, ethical and values-driven leader".
Fallout and Official Responses
Concluding his letter, Banerji posed a critical question: "Will the departures of two of our most senior, respected and loved executives make the BBC stronger? I doubt it, very much."
In response, BBC Board chairman Samir Shah told a parliamentary select committee on Tuesday that he believed he had consulted Banerji during a 26-minute phone call, expressing that he was "disappointed and surprised" by the claims. A BBC spokesman added that Banerji's term as a non-executive director was already due to conclude at the end of December, and the search for his successor was underway.
