The BBC‘s director-general Tim Davie has resigned amid a row over the doctoring of a Donald Trump speech for a Panorama episode.
The corporation’s CEO of News, Deborah Turness, has also resigned following criticism that the BBC documentary misled viewers.
In a statement, Mr Davie said: ‘There have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility.’
It comes after the scandal hit broadcaster was this week plunged into a fresh crisis after an internal dossier exposed a string of incidents that demonstrate serious apparent bias in the Corporation’s reporting.
The concerns regard clips spliced together from sections of Mr Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021 to make it appear he told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to ‘fight like hell’.
The documentary ‘Trump: A Second Chance?’ was broadcast by the BBC the week before last year’s US election. Mr Trump’s White House has since accused the BBC of ‘100 per cent fake news’.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: ‘I want to thank Tim Davie for his service to public broadcasting over many years.
‘He has led the BBC through a period of significant change and helped the organisation to grip the challenges it has faced in recent years.’
The departures also follow a newsroom revolt after a newsreader who corrected ‘pregnant people’ to ‘women’ while live on air was rebuked.
The BBC ‘s director-general Tim Davie has resigned amid a row over the doctoring of a Donald Trump speech for a Panorama episode
Deborah Turness, the CEO of News, has also resigned following criticism that the BBC documentary misled viewers
The BBC has also faced fierce criticism for its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and transgender rights.
While the dossier, written by former journalist Michael Prescott and sent to the BBC board, also raised serious concerns about BBC Arabic’s reporting on Gaza.
The corporation admitted breaking editorial guidelines when Bob Vylan’s ‘deeply-offensive’ chant of ‘death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury was broadcast live to millions.
There was a nationwide backlash to the set, which saw Vylan lead the crowd in a chant of ‘death, death to the IDF,’ as well as ‘from the river to the sea’, and used the term ‘f****** Zionists’.
The band’s frontman, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, even claimed that BBC staff on the ground at the event told him that they ‘loved’ his set, and called it ‘fantastic’.
Mr Davie was forced to apologise to the Commons’ culture select committee, and told staff the broadcast was ‘deeply-offensive’ and ‘totally unacceptance.’
Following his departure, Mr Davie said: ‘I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days.
‘I am working through exact timings with the Board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.
‘I have been reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times, combined with the fact that I want to give a successor time to help shape the Charter plans they will be delivering.
‘In these increasingly polarised times, the BBC is of unique value and speaks to the very best of us. It helps make the UK a special place; overwhelmingly kind, tolerant and curious. 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.’
BBC Chairman 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 has had the full support of me and the Board throughout. However, I understand the continued pressure on him, personally and professionally, which has led him to take this decision today. The whole Board respects the decision and the reasons for it.
The White House had accused the broadcaster of spreading ‘100 per cent fake news’
‘Tim has given 20 years of his life to the BBC. He is a devoted and inspirational leader and an absolute believer in the BBC and public service broadcasting. He has achieved a great deal. Foremost, under his tenure, the transformation of the BBC to meet the challenges in a world of unprecedented change and competition is well underway.
‘Personally, I will miss his stamina, good humour and resilience and I will miss working with him. I wish him and his family the very best for the future.
‘This is an important time for the Corporation and the Board and I will continue to work with Tim in the interim while we conduct the process to appoint his successor.
The BBC has faced intense criticism in recent weeks over the balance of its coverage.
On Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, broadcaster Nick Robinson acknowledged that there was ‘a genuine concern about editorial standards and mistakes’ at the national broadcaster, but went on to say: ‘There is also a political campaign by people who want to destroy the organisation that you are currently listening to. Both things are happening at the same time.’
His remarks – later endorsed as ‘exactly right’ by veteran reporter John Simpson – were swiftly condemned as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘arrogant’ by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose vow to withhold his licence fee over the impartiality issue sparked the outburst.
Reform MP Rupert Lowe said Mr Davie’s resignation was ‘good news’.
In a post on X, he wrote: ‘BBC director-general Tim Davie resigning – good news.
‘This is the start of the end for the BBC licence fee.
‘Make it a subscription service and let the British people decide if they wish to fund such woke insufferable guff.
‘I will certainly not be paying.’
The resignations comes after the Corporation’s internal watchdogs censured newsreader Martine Croxall after she corrected the phrase ‘pregnant people’ to ‘women’ live on air.
The Executive Complaints Unit ruled on Thursday that she breached impartiality rules by raising her eyebrow when she changed the wording of the autocue.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
