Tim Davie resigns live: BBC director-general quits over Donald Trump documentary controversy

Caroline Dinenage, chair of the House of Commons Culture committee, speaks to our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin.

“Tim Davie’s decision to resign is regrettable given his huge commitment to the BBC and public service broadcasting, but restoring confidence in the company must come first,” he said. Independent.

“The BBC Board must now begin a long process to rebuild the company’s reputation both at home and abroad, after the damage caused by what has become a seemingly constant stream of crises and missteps.

“The committee will meet on Tuesday to consider the BBC Chief Executive’s response to our letter and next steps.

“At the same time, the Government should bring forward the Charter Review process so that the public and Parliament can help shape the future shape and direction of the BBC.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has called for “profound cultural change” at the BBC following the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness.

In a statement, the community body said: “The Jewish community has long had deep concerns about the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East, but this has become deeper over the past two years.

“The BBC has been rocked by scandal after scandal, be it a Gaza documentary featuring the son of a Hamas official, the Glastonbury coverage, BBC Arabic’s open wound or its continued designation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Jewish staff and contractors have also complained repeatedly about their treatment at the company.”

“In light of this, the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness should be seen as the beginning, not the end, of the renewal process.

“A profound cultural shift will be necessary to once again restore trust in one of our nation’s most treasured institutions.”

Nigel Farage has said the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness should be the “start of wholesale change”.

The Reform UK leader said: “The departure of Davie and Turness must be the start of wholesale change.

“The government needs to come in and appoint someone with a track record of turning companies and their cultures around. Preferably this would be someone from the private sector who runs a forward-looking business and understands public relations.”

“This is the BBC’s last chance. If they don’t get this right, there will be a lot of people refusing to pay the license fee.”

A BBC Radio 4 presenter has slammed “enemy” actors in what he described as “nothing short of a coup” following Tim Davie’s resignation announcement.

David Yelland, former editor of The Sun, said: “What happened at the BBC today is nothing short of a coup, a national disgrace.”

“The company’s board was effectively weakened and elements close to it worked with hostile newspaper editors, a former Prime Minister and enemies of public service broadcasting,” he added.

“The only honorable actors here are Tim Davie and Deborah Turness.”

We just heard from the White House press secretary who mocked the publisher in a post on X.

Karoline Leavitt posted screenshots of two news articles, one showing Trump criticizing the BBC for “fake news” and the other about Tim Davie’s resignation.

The first screenshot is marked “thrown”, the second is marked “chasing”.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy thanked Tim Davie “for his many years of service to public broadcasting”.

In a statement about X, he said he had led the BBC “through a period of significant change and helped the organization overcome the challenges it has faced in recent years”.

He adds: “Now more than ever, the need for trusted news and high-quality programming is crucial to our democratic and cultural life and our place in the world.

“As a government, we will support the Board as it manages this transition and ensure the Charter Review is the catalyst that helps the BBC adapt to this new era and secure its role at the heart of national life for decades to come.”

We hear Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey calling on the BBC to use this opportunity to “rebuild trust and not bow to the likes of Nigel Farage”.

Sir Ed said in a statement: “The BBC is not perfect, but it remains one of the few institutions that stands between our British values ​​and the populist, Trump-style takeover of our politics.

“The resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness should be an opportunity for the BBC to turn over a new leaf, rebuild trust and not surrender to those like Nigel Farage who want to destroy it.”

He said the BBC was vital in ensuring British democracy was based on “facts, scrutiny and accountability”.

“To prevent Trump’s America from becoming Farage’s Britain, we must defend a free press, free speech and a strong, independent BBC.”

BBC chief Samir Shah has paid tribute to Tim Davie as he reflects on a “sad day” for the broadcaster.[paidtributetoTimDavieasherereflectsona“sadday”forthebroadcaster[paidtributetoTimDavieashereflectsona“sadday”forthebroadcaster

“Tim has been an outstanding managing director over the last five years,” Mr Shah said. “He has moved the BBC forward with determination, determination and foresight.

“He has had the full support of me and the board from the beginning. However, I understand the ongoing pressure on him personally and professionally that has led him to make this decision today. The entire board respects the decision and the reasons for it.”

“Tim has devoted 20 years of his life to the BBC. He is a loyal and inspiring leader and has an absolute belief in the BBC and public service broadcasting. He has achieved great things. Most importantly, during his tenure, the transformation of the BBC to meet the challenges of a world of unprecedented change and competition is well underway.

“Personally, I will miss his resilience, his sense of humor and his stamina and I will miss working with him. I wish him and his family the best for the future.”

We can now present to you Tim Davie’s full resignation statement:

Former BBC director-general Tim Davie admitted there were “some mistakes” during his time in the role.

In his resignation statement published by the broadcaster, he said that due to the nature of his role he was required to “take ultimate responsibility”.

Mr. Davie thanked the President and Board “for their unwavering and unanimous support throughout my entire term” and emphasized that the decision to step down was “entirely my decision.”

He also paid tribute to the organisation, which he said was “uniquely valuable and speaks to the best of us”, although he acknowledged that the broadcaster “is not perfect and must always be open, transparent and accountable”.

Mr David added that he was working with the Board to ensure an orderly transition to his successor.