BBC Director General Tim Davy and News CEO Deborah Turness resign amid allegations of Trump’s speech editing
The BBC faced criticism for editing a speech delivered by Donald Trump before protesters stormed Capitol Hill.
London: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Director General Tim Davy and News CEO Deborah Turness have resigned from their positions. The resignations follow allegations that viewers were misled by editing a speech by US President Doland Trump in a BBC Panorama documentary. In his resignation statement, Tim Davy said, “Some mistakes were certainly made. As Director General, I must take full responsibility for this.”
Tim Davy and News Service Chief Deborah Turness announced their resignations on Sunday, November 10. The BBC faced criticism for editing a speech delivered by Doland Trump before protesters stormed Capitol Hill in Washington on January 6, 2021.
What’s the whole matter?
On Monday, 10 November 2025, The Telegraph published details of a leaked internal BBC memo, which stated that the Panorama programme had edited two parts of the US President’s speech to make it appear as if he was explicitly encouraging the Capitol Hill riots in January 2021. This sparked criticism, leading to these resignations.
Tim Davie resigned after 20 years in the position. He succeeded Lord Tony Hall as Director General in September 2020. Davie faced several crises since taking office. In 2023, the BBC was forced to end most of its Saturday sports coverage after presenters refused to act in solidarity with Match of the Day host Gary Lineker.
Turness assumed the position in 2022
Deborah Turness, CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, also resigned on Sunday amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Panorama documentary. She assumed the position in September 2022. She was previously CEO of ITN, where she oversaw the organisation’s three key business areas – newsroom, long-form production and commercial content.
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