Why Has BBC Director General Tim Davie Resigned?

BBC Director General Tim Davie and the CEO of News, Deborah Turness, have resigned after the public broadcaster received criticism over bias, including accusations of misleadingly editing a speech by US President Donald Trump. 

Their departures follow an exclusive report in the Telegraph that cited a leaked internal memo from former independent external adviser to the broadcaster's editorial standards committee, Michael Prescott related to a Panorama documentary called 'Trump: A Second Chance?'. 

According to the Telegraph, the memo suggested the documentary had edited parts of a speech by Trump so that he appeared to encourage the January 2021 Capitol Riot.

In a statement published on the BBC, Davie said his resignation was “entirely my decision”. 

He added: “I remain very thankful to the chair and board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure including during recent days.”

BBC Chair Samir Shah said: “This is a sad day for the BBC. Tim has been an outstanding Director General for the last five years. He has propelled the BBC forward with determination, single-mindedness and foresight.”

He thanked Deborah for her leadership, which he said has “transformed the operation of news with real commitment and a clear vision of the future,” before saying, “this has been a difficult period for everyone connected to the BBC and it goes without saying this is an incredibly important time for the organisation.”

Why have the pair resigned?

The ‘Tump: A Second Chance?’ documentary was broadcast a week before the US presidential election in late 2024. 

The leaked memo referred to a speech by Trump. In the 6 January 2021 speech in Washington DC Trump said: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”

In the Panorama documentary, Trump was seen to say: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.”

According to the Guardian, the words were taken from sections of Trump’s speech almost an hour apart. 

On 8 November, Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reportedly described the BBC as “100% fake news” and a "propaganda machine”. 

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that “very dishonest people” had “tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election”.

He added: “On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for democracy!”

It was reported on 8 November that the BBC was expected to apologise for how the speech was edited. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said its chair would provide a “full response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee”.

Who are Tim Davie and Deborah Turness?

Davie was appointed Director General of the BBC in September 2020, overseeing the corporation’s services and acting as its editorial, operational and creative lead. 

Before joining the organisation, he had previously worked with industry leaders PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble. 

He said: “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. 

“Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”

Turness joined the BBC in 2022 as CEO of BBC News, heading up the company’s news and current affairs programmes. She previously served as CEO of ITN and, earlier, had held the role of President at NBC News. 

She said in a statement announcing her resignation: “The ongoing controversy around the Panorama on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love.

“As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me – and I took the decision to offer my resignation to the Director-General last night.

“In public life, leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down. While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”

Turness said she and Davie would “plan an orderly handover” that causes the “least disruption possible”.