Summary
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US President Donald Trump threatens the BBC with $1bn legal action over the editing of his speech in a documentary
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In a letter to the corporation, his legal team demands the BBC “immediately retract” the Panorama programme by 14 November, calling it “false and defamatory”
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It comes as BBC chair Samir Shah apologised for an “error of judgement” over the edit, and said the BBC was considering how to respond to Trump
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BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday night, after a leaked memo criticised a 2024 Panorama programme about the US president
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The memo, written by ex-BBC adviser Michael Prescott, said the programme put two parts of Trump’s speech together so he appeared to explicitly encourage the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021
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In a letter to MPs on the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, Shah says the editing “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action”
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He adds it is “simply not true” to say the BBC has done nothing to tackle problems raised, and in a later interview insists there is no systemic bias at the BBC
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Live Reporting
Edited by Tinshui Yeung and Emily McGarvey
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‘Error of judgement’ leads to resignation of two BBC heads – but situation not overpublished at 19:58 GMT
Image source, ReutersThe BBC is facing potential legal action from Donald Trump after a leaked memo highlighted issues with how a speech from the president was edited for a documentary broadcast before last year’s US election.
The memo, written by former BBC adviser Michael Prescott, pointed to the way the Panorama documentary had stitched together separate sections of Trump’s speech. The result gave the appearance that Trump had encouraged the Capitol Hill riots.
On Sunday evening, BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness handed in their resignations. BBC chair Samir Shah later acknowledged an “error of judgement” with the edit.
For the White House, though, more needs to be done – lawyers for Trump have demanded three actions: a retraction of the documentary, an apology, and compensation.
If the broadcaster does not comply, lawyers will proceed with legal action – seeking a sum of $1bn (£760m) in damages.
The issue is still developing, as we’ve yet to see the BBC comment on the legal threat. Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, will also hold an all-staff call tomorrow.
For today, we are closing our live coverage. Meanwhile, you can watch Samir Shah’s comments, read our culture and media editor’s take, or stay up to date with our news article.
Thank you for joining us today.
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Government should remove Robbie Gibb from BBC board immediately – Ed Daveypublished at 19:40 GMT
Image source, EPALiberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has joined calls from the SNP to remove BBC board member Robbie Gibb.
Writing in the Guardian this evening, Davey says: “Not only was Gibb the director of communications for Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, and editorial adviser at GB News before being appointed by Boris Johnson. He has also been accused of interfering with editorial decisions in a way that is totally unacceptable for a member of the board.”
The Lib Dem leader says Gibb should have no role in appointing the new director general. “The government should remove him from the board immediately.”
Gibb has been approached for comment.
- A source has told the BBC there was “relentless critique of BBC journalism” by board members, with Robbie Gibb singled out in particular – read more from our culture and media editor Katie Razzall
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Tory leader urges BBC to ‘look at its own mistakes’published at 19:21 GMT
Image source, PA MediaConservative leader Kemi Badenoch says there are “serious questions” for the BBC.
Badenoch says this is “not just about the doctoring of a Donald Trump documentary” but also about how the BBC has “continually covered other issues”, especially those involving women and Jewish people, she adds.
“Those are the people I’m speaking out for… everyday people who watch the BBC and know that what they’re watching is not true,” she says.
However, Badenoch says the country “need to treasure” the BBC as well, and that starts with the BBC showing “humility”.
The Tory leader urges the BBC to “look at its own mistakes, rather than have contempt and sneer at all the people who are pointing out those mistakes”.
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Tim Davie’s successor needs a suit of armour and a lot of luck, ex-BBC Trust chairmanpublished at 19:06 GMT
Tory peer Lord Patten, a former BBC Trust chairman between 2011 and 2014, has been sharing his experiences of crisis management as well as his thoughts on the situation the corporation is currently facing.
“I am very sorry about Tim Davie who I think is an outstanding director general,” Lord Patten tells BBC Radio 4’s PM programme following Davie’s resignation. “He was a very good leader for the BBC at a difficult time I think it is sad he was put in this position but I think it was inevitable.”
“I think it is a very tough job – whoever takes over needs a suit of armour and a lot of luck.”
Lord Patten believes it would also be “terrible for our democracy to get into this flap all the time”.
He adds: “We owe a great deal to the BBC, it is not perfect. No human institution is at all but it is certainly the best broadcaster in the world.”
Lord Patten also spoke to the BBC News Channel, which you can watch in the clip below:
Media caption, ‘Next director general must speak out more loudly for BBC,’ former BBC Trust chairman says
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Current affairs should not be done by outside companies – former Panorama producerpublished at 18:50 GMT
David Elstein, a former BBC executive producer who worked on Panorama before becoming Channel 5’s first chief executive, says current affairs programmes should stay within the BBC’s control rather than being made by outside companies.
The one-hour programme, Trump: A Second Chance?, was made for the BBC by independent production company October Films Ltd.
“There’s lots of documentaries on their roster but very few current affairs programmes, and in current affairs you learn that you just can’t do that,” he adds.
“My personal view is that current affairs absolutely needs to be under your internal control. I’m sure the BBC would have learned that lesson.”
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Shadow culture secretary accuses BBC of being ‘out of touch’published at 18:35 GMT
Image source, PA MediaThe shadow culture secretary has called the BBC institutionally biased, urging it to undergo “a complete culture change”.
Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston says the editorial issues leading up to yesterday’s resignations show a “whole series of consistent abuses of impartiality rules” at the BBC.
He says these show that “the BBC is out of touch and has a certain line to push which is embedded in the institution”.
He also says Trump “was the victim in some ways of editorial bias from the BBC”.
“The vast majority of people, including myself and colleagues of mine in the Conservative Party, want the BBC to be successful,” he says. “What we want to do is save it from itself, not destroy it.”
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Lib Dems say they will ‘support the BBC’ at times when it is at riskpublished at 18:20 GMT
The Liberal Democrats’ culture, media and sport spokesperson says the Lib Dems – although not “uncritically” – will “support the BBC at times where it is at risk”.
Anna Sabine says the corporation needs to “rebuild trust” and “turn over a new leaf”, speaking to Radio 5 Live earlier.
The Lib Dems wrote to Ofcom in September complaining of too much Reform coverage on the BBC. Sabine says since then “the BBC has been fairly responsive to that”.
On the subject of a new director general replacing Tim Davie, Sabine says the most important thing is that the person is recruited fairly, openly, and transparently in a “non-political process”.
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Many MPs uneasy that BBC may be under attack for political gainpublished at 18:04 GMT
Georgia Roberts
Political reporter
While criticism of the BBC is not in short supply in Westminster, many MPs are feeling very uncomfortable that the corporation may be coming under attack for political gain.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi is organising a letter to be sent to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and tells me: “I’m not BBC bashing – I want to protect it.
“With both the director general and the head of news gone and threats of legal action from President Trump, this is a significant moment for the organisation.
“It’s up to us as parliamentarians to stand up for a free press – the fourth pillar of democracy – and help preserve the BBC’s journalistic integrity at all costs.”
Antoniazzi has asked colleagues to sign a letter to the government seeking clarification on two things: whether the BBC board prevented a swift apology going out for the Panorama Trump edit, and if so why, and also why Tim Davie felt the need to state the BBC shouldn’t be “weaponised” in his resignation letter.
“This transparency is vital to allow the BBC to move on, and enable its news operation to continue its role providing fair, accurate, impartial news in a deeply polarised world, plagued by misinformation,” she adds.
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BBC chair’s letter to MPs in fullpublished at 17:45 GMT
As we’ve been reporting, BBC chair Samir Shah has submitted a written statement to the parliamentary group responsible for scrutinising the work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its associated public bodies – including the BBC.
In the letter, Shah apologises for an “error of judgement” over how a speech by Donald Trump was edited in the Panorama documentary.
The letter, addressed to Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, can be read in full here.
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Trump threatens $1bn lawsuit against BBC – what you need to knowpublished at 17:36 GMT
Here’s the latest:
- The BBC could be facing a $1bn (£760m) lawsuit after lawyers for US President Donald Trump sent a letter to the orgnisation saying they would take legal action if it does not issue a “full and fair” retraction of a Panorama documentary
- Lawyers have also asked for an apology and compensation for the president
- The documentary, aired in October 2024, stitched together two different parts of Trump’s speech made on 6 January and made it look like a single continuous section
- In Florida, where the letter says the suit would be filed, an aggrieved party has two years to bring a case – which would fit the timeline, our home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani writes
- This follows the resignations last night of BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness after a leaked memo criticised the edits, among other aspects of the BBC’s coverage
- BBC chair Samir Shah has since apologised for the “error of judgement” but said the organisation has taken measures to tackle the problems
We’ll continue to bring you the latest developments and reaction as we get them.
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Departing director general to hold all-staff BBC call on Tuesdaypublished at 17:17 GMT
Image source, PA MediaWe haven’t yet heard from departing director general Tim Davie today, but BBC staff have now been invited to an all-staff call with Davie tomorrow morning.
This comes after an email sent earlier by BBC News deputy CEO Jonathan Munro, who described the last 24 hours as a “particularly challenging” time for journalists at the organisation.
Following the departure of CEO of news Deborah Turness, Munro says he will now “have overall responsibility for editorial decisions for the moment”.
Alongside Davie’s all-staff call, Munro says he will also host a call for news staff tomorrow afternoon.
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‘The BBC is on notice,’ Trump legal team writepublished at 17:02 GMT
Breaking
More now from the letter sent to the BBC from Donald Trump’s legal team, which says that if the corporation does not retract the Panorama documentary, then litigation will follow.
“The BBC is on notice,” the letter reads.
“PLEASE GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY.”
The lawyers call the edit of Trump’s speech “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory” and write that he has suffered “overwhelming financial and reputational harm”.
As a reminder, BBC chair Samir Shah earlier apologised for the “error of judgement” over the documentary and said the BBC was considering how to respond to the US president.
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Trump’s lawyers set out three demands to BBC, including compensationpublished at 16:55 GMT
Breaking
We have now seen the letter Donald Trump’s lawyers sent to the BBC and can bring you more details.
The letter sets out three demands, including:
- Immediately issue a full and fair retraction of the documentary and any and all other false, defamatory, disparaging, misleading, and inflammatory statements about President Trump in as conspicuous a manner as they were originally published
- Immediately issue an apology for the false, defamatory, disparaging, misleading, and inflammatory statements about President Trump
- Appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused
“If the BBC does not comply with the above by November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages,” the letter concludes.
We’ll bring you more shortly. Stay with us.
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Trump reportedly threatening to sue in Florida – what does that mean?published at 16:37 GMT
Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondentAccording to US media reports, Trump’s lawyers are threatening to sue in Florida – meaning they will have to show the episode of Panorama was accessible there.
The state allows an aggrieved party up to two years to bring a case, external.
Given the episode of Panorama was broadcast in the UK in October 2024, if the president had tried to sue in London, the general requirement to launch a case within a year would have stood in his way.
Threatening to sue is not the same as having a case that will stick.
The president would have to show that he has suffered some major loss from the programme – and American law offers very strong free speech protections.
This is why defamation law is complex – it comes down to very fine judgements.
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Farage says he spoke to Trump about the Panorama documentarypublished at 16:21 GMT
Image source, EPAReform UK leader Nigel Farage says he spoke to Trump on Friday about the Panorama documentary.
“He just said to me: ‘Is this how you treat your best ally?’” Farage says.
Speaking at a news conference, Farage says “the BBC has been institutionally biased for decades”. He says he does think the BBC is important, but adds that it “should get back to doing news”.
Farage calls for a slimmed-down BBC focused on entertainment and sport, using a “subscription model”.
“That’s the modern world that we live in,” he says.
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Swinney calls for former Tory adviser to resign from BBC boardpublished at 16:11 GMT
Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland political correspondent
Image source, PAScotland’s first minister says the former Conservative adviser Robbie Gibb should quit the board of the BBC, amid questions about the corporation’s impartiality.
Gibb served as director of communications for Theresa May when she was in Downing Street before his appointment to the broadcaster’s board.
John Swinney says a former political figure such as Gibb undermines the broadcaster’s authority and impartiality, at a time when the latter is an “active point of debate”.
The first minister stops short of stating he believes the BBC to be “institutionally biased”, but he says there have been occasions when he has questioned its impartiality.
He says: “If the BBC wants to be viewed as an impartial organisation that’s authoritative, that reflects the independence of commentary, then I think Robbie Gibb’s position is untenable.”
Robbie Gibb has been approached for comment.
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Trump threatens $1bn lawsuit against BBC – reportspublished at 15:43 GMT
Breaking
US media including the New York Times and Fox News are reporting a letter said to be from US President Donald Trump’s legal team sent to the BBC.
It gives the BBC a deadline of Friday 14 November at 22:00 GMT (17:00 EST) to make a “full and fair retraction” of the Panorama documentary – or face being sued for $1bn (£760m).
It reads: “If the BBC does not comply with the above by November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages. The BBC is on notice.”
- We’re working to bring you the letter sent to the BBC – and we’ll have more details as soon as we get them
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BBC apologises for editing of Trump speech, but says there was no intention to misleadpublished at 15:31 GMT
Image caption, Promotional image for Trump: A Second Chance, published on 2 November 2024
The BBC has responded to criticism about the editing of a Panorama documentary which showed a sequence of Donald Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech – and is one of the issues raised in Prescott’s leaked memo.
The broadcaster says the programme – which aired back in October 2024 – stitched together two different parts of Trump’s speech made on that day and made it look like a single continuous section.
The two sections that were edited together, however, were more than 50 minutes apart.
It also confirms that, immediately after those excerpts, the programme showed a clip of a far-right Proud Boys group marching to the Capitol.
However, this footage was filmed before Trump began his speech.
“Consequently, this gave the impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement,” the broadcaster says.
BBC News says there was no intention to mislead.
The aim, it notes, was to convey the key messages of the speech in a “condensed format”, as the full speech lasted over an hour, and to illustrate what was happening on the day.
BBC also says it has been suggested the programme removed the word “peacefully” from the clips of Trump’s speech.
“To be clear, we did not do so,” it says.
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Can Trump sue the BBC for defamation?published at 15:19 GMT
Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondentCan Donald Trump sue the BBC for defamation? If he has got an arguable case and it’s in time – but defamation law is incredibly complex.
Defamation, in its simplest terms, protects someone’s good standing from an unjustified attack that lowers how the public view them to such an extent that it has caused lasting harm.
A claimant has to prove this harm before a judge – the person or media organisation facing the claim has potential defences, including that the words were in the public interest or an honestly held opinion.
The claimant has to generally show they have begun their claim within a year of the first publication, a rule that also applies to online archives.
There are exceptions – but given the Panorama at the heart of this story was first broadcast and made available on the BBC iPlayer more than a year ago, the potential difficulty in bringing a case to a London court is obvious.
However, the president might be thinking of suing in the US.
There, the law is different – with different deadlines by state. So it will depend if he can prove the programme was aired there, in time, and whether defamation is arguable in light of the country’s incredibly strong free speech guarantees.
Image source, Reuters -
Do you trust the BBC? Radio 5 Live hears from the audiencepublished at 15:11 GMT
Earlier, we heard from callers on Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live about whether they trust the BBC.
Owen from Cambridge supports the BBC but says the Panorama edit is “absolutely unforgiveable”.
He wants more accountability from the Panorama team, asking, “why do they have a job and the director general doesn’t?”
Gerry in Nottingham says she is a “defender” of the BBC, but she thinks presenters and coverage of the broadcaster were “snotty” towards Trump – and needed to take him more seriously.
Phil in Monmouth says the BBC is “well worth” the £180 TV licence – but thinks the news is “wokey”, “slow, left wing, and nobody really follows it”.
But when it comes to sport, TV shows like The Traitors, and other entertainment, Phil says he’s “a big champion” of the broadcaster.
On the other side, Rory in Bournemouth thinks the BBC is too right wing.
“The amount of coverage they have given to Nigel Farage and the Reform party has resulted in the manipulation of the British public’s opinion,” he says.
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