Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, have resigned following accusations of “serious and systemic” bias in the corporation’s coverage. The departures came after a former adviser, Michael Prescott, criticised the editing of a Donald Trump speech for Panorama and raised concerns about BBC Arabic using contributors with antisemitic views.
Insiders described the mood as one of dismay, with one source saying: “It feels like a coup… the result of a campaign by political enemies of the BBC.” Davie insisted his resignation was “entirely my decision”, adding that while the board had given him “unswerving” support, the current debate had contributed to his choice.
The controversy centres on a Panorama edit of Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech, which spliced together remarks made almost an hour apart to suggest he urged the crowd to “fight like hell”. Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called the BBC “100% fake news”, and Trump himself accused “very dishonest people” of trying to “step on the scales” of an election.
Davie’s resignation follows a difficult year for the BBC, which faced criticism over Gary Lineker’s comments, a Glastonbury performance by Bob Vylan, and a Gaza documentary. The BBC chairman, Samir Shah, described the departure as a “sad day” and said the board respected Davie’s decision. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, had previously said she was confident the BBC would treat the allegations seriously.
