BBC boss Davie, news chief Turness quit after Trump documentary edit backlash

• BBC was accused of bias over Trump, Gaza and trans issues.
• US had blamed BBC for being a "propaganda machine"
• BBC board stunned by Davie's resignation.

The BBC Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday amid mounting criticism over perceived bias at the British broadcaster, including questions over the editing of a US President Donald Trump speech in a recent documentary.

The BBC had been under mounting pressure after an internal report by a former standards adviser was leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, which cited failings in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, trans issues and a speech made by Trump.

The White House had recently denounced the broadcaster as a "propaganda machine" after its flagship Panorama documentary programme was found to have edited two parts of Trump's speech together so he appeared to encourage the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.

Davie, who has led the British Broadcasting Corporation since 2020, said he had decided to step down after "reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times".

Turness, the CEO of BBC News, also quit.

Respected abroad, questioned for news judgment

Widely respected around the world, the BBC has in recent years been accused of failing to maintain its commitment to impartial news, struggling to navigate the deeply polarised political and social environment.

The corporation, which is funded by a licence fee paid by all television-watching households, also comes under intense scrutiny from some national newspapers and social media, which object to its funding model and perceived liberal stance.

In recent years it had struggled to contain scandals over the opinion on immigration of its most highly paid sports presenter, Gary Lineker, which briefly led to a walk-out by staff, while it was condemned for showing a punk-rap duo Bob Vylan chanting against the Israeli military at Glastonbury.

It also pulled a documentary about Gaza earlier this year because it featured the son of a deputy minister in the Hamas-run government.

In the Panorama documentary, Trump was shown telling his supporters that "we’re going to walk down to the Capitol" and that they would "fight like hell", a comment he made in a different part of his speech.

He had actually followed up that remark about walking to the Capitol by saying they would "cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women".

Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the BBC as “100% fake news" in an interview published on Friday.

Davie’s exit follows a difficult year for the BBC

British culture minister Lisa Nandy thanked Davie for his work, saying he had led the broadcaster through a period of significant change.

Davie said in a statement that the decision was "entirely my decision" and he will stay on for the next few months while a replacement is found.

A person familiar with the situation said Davie's decision had left the BBC board stunned.

Davie had faced a number of crises since he took the job. In 2023, the BBC was forced to axe much of its sports coverage on Saturday as presenters refused to work in solidarity with Lineker.

The former England striker, who anchored the football highlights programme "Match of the Day", had been taken off air due to comments he had made on social media about immigration.

Critics said the BBC had bowed to pressure from the then-Conservative government. Lineker was back on air soon after, but left the corporation earlier this year after another spat over social media comments.