U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for at least $ 1 billion over the way it edited a video of a speech he gave on January 6, 2021, before a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. A letter sent to the BBC from Mr. Trump’s lawyer demanded a full apology, retraction of the documentary and for the BBC to “appropriately compensate” Mr. Trump.
BBC Director General Tim Davie and its new chief Deborah Turness had resigned on Sunday (November 10, 2025) after it became widely known that the BBC’s Panorama show had spliced clips together from different parts of Mr. Trump’s January 6 speech. The Trump video gained wide publicity following a leak by the Daily Telegraph newspaper of a memo written by former BBC advisor Michael Prescott, in which he had criticised the BBC’s coverage of Mr. Trump as well as transgender issues and Gaza.
The BBC made an “error of judgement” in the way in which it edited a video, BBC Chair Samir Shah told a U.K. Parliamentary Committee on Monday (November 10, 2025).
“..We accept the way in which the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action,” Mr. Shah wrote in a letter to the U.K. Parliament, adding,
“The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement.”
Asked in an interview on Monday (November 10, 2025) if Mr. Trump would be suing the BBC, Mr. Shah said he did not know but that Mr. Trump was a “litigious fellow” and the BBC should be prepared for all outcomes. However, the letter from Mr. Trump’s lawyer was addressed to Mr. Shah and apparently emailed to him.
Mr. Shah said in the interview that neither he nor the rest of the BBC wanted Mr. Davie to leave. The resignations come at a time when the public broadcaster’s charter is up for renewal. Mr. Shah emphatically defended the BBC’s record and said Mr. Prescott’s memo was focused on identifying mistakes, which the BBC accepts.
Mr. Shah, who was born in India, was appointed by the Rishi Sunak Conservative government and became BBC Chair in 2024.
The White House weighed in with media guidance for Britons following Mr. Davie’s resignation.
‘Fake news’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the BBC was “dying “ because it was “anti-Trump fake news” and recommended another media outlet, which is considered right-wing .
Earlier Ms. Leavitt had called the BBC a “leftist propaganda machine”.
Ms. Leavitt posted Mr. Trump’s tweet in which he said that Mr. Davie and other “top people” in the BBC “were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech”.
“The White House is now telling us which news we should watch. Think about that for a bit,” a well known U.K. TV host Kirstie Allsop said on X.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the BBC resignations, as she called for tighter control of BBC Arabic. The BBC’s coverage of the U.S. and Middle East (i.e., West Asia) need a complete overhaul, she said.
Published – November 10, 2025 05:28 pm IST
