Tim Davie and Deborah Turness resigned over Trump documentary

After 20 years

TV boss resigns over Trump documentary

November 9, 2025 – 21:03Reading time: 2 minutes

Tim Davie: The BBC director general has resigned. (Source: Hannah McKay/Pool via AP)

Earthquake at the top of British broadcaster BBC: There are several resignations after criticism of editing of US President Donald Trump’s speech.

The BBC, Britain’s world-famous public broadcaster, is experiencing a severe leadership crisis. The channel’s boss, Tim Davie, resigned later in the evening, as did Deborah Turness, who was in charge of BBC news. His background includes editing speeches by US President Donald Trump for the “Panorama” program.

Davie said he had decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. He took this decision alone and is grateful for the support, even in the last few days. The current debate is not the only reason, but contributed to his decision. “There were some mistakes made” and as general manager he ultimately has to take responsibility for those mistakes, Davie said.

The Telegraph newspaper recently reported on an internal memo that raised concerns about the impartiality of the BBC’s reporting. Specifically, the point of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021 was that the edits made it seem like the US President was saying that he would go to the Capitol with his supporters and put up extreme resistance.

On the day of this speech, Trump supporters violently stormed the House of Representatives in Washington. Congress met there to officially confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election against Trump. Trump has been trying to reinterpret January 6, 2021 for years. It was not a hurricane, but a “day of love,” he said repeatedly during his election campaign.

According to the PA news agency, the BBC documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?” It aired a few weeks before last year’s US election, which Trump won. What was expected recently was an apology and clarification from the broadcaster.

The BBC was founded 103 years ago and has achieved worldwide fame – also for the quality of its journalism. Initially it was unclear how the television station would react to the resignation.