After five years at the helm of the BBC and fielding numerous controversies, Tim Davie has left the broadcaster.
The director general stepped down yesterday following accusations that the BBC doctored Donald Trump’s speech in a Panorama documentary.
During his time, the broadcaster has come under criticism over the Bob Vylan concert at Glastonbury, the Huw Edwards
But it was the Trump speech controversy which was the final nail in the coffin for Davie and his CEO of News.
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Who is Tim Davie?
Davie was born in Croydon, south London, and he joined the broadcaster after a career in marketing, including with PepsiCo.
The 58-year-old was appointed as the BBC director general in September 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
He took on the role after the departure of Tony Hall.
Davie was reportedly paid significantly more than Hall, receiving around £642,000 a year, while Hall is thought to have been paid £475,000.
Davie steered the broadcaster through the coronavirus pandemic, which saw reports of PPE contracts being awarded to well-connected individuals.
The first scandal Davie had to shoulder came after a report in 2021 found that reporter Martin Bashir had ‘deceived and induced’ Princess Diana’s brother to get the 1995 interview with her.
Although Davie was not at the Beeb at the time, he issued a ‘full and unconditional’ apology.
Why has he resigned now?
However, the Trump accusations proved too much for the director general to field.
A clip of his speech, featured in the Panorama episode ‘Trump: A Second Chance’ appeared to show Trump telling supporters he was going to walk to the Capitol with them to ‘fight like hell,’ although the quotes were made in a different part of the speech, 50 minutes apart.
The issue began to unravel after a memo, sent to the BBC editorial standards committee, raised concerns over the way Trump’s speech on January 6 during the Capitol riots was edited.
The Panorama episode came out just a week before the US elections last year.
Top 5 BBC controversies under Tim Davie
During his five-year tenure, Tim Davie faced multiple scandals and controversies, ranging from the behavior of individual stars to the broadcaster’s perceived bias in its Gaza coverage.
Gaza and Bob Vylan
The BBC has faced constant pressure over its coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
It was forced to make an on-air apology for its content for the first time since 2009 after Ofcom ruled it committed a ‘serious breach’ of broadcasting rules in its documentary, How to Survive a Warzone.
The program attracted criticism after its teenage narrator was revealed to be the son of a Hamas official.
In May, the BBC also came under pressure for not pulling the plug on Bob Vylan’s concert at the Glastonbury Festival, during which a member of the music act led a ‘death to the IDF’ chant.
Huw Edwards
Amongst the largest scandals handled by Mr Davie was that concerning star news anchor Huw Edwards, who was revealed to have paid a teenager more than £35,000 for explicit images.
Edwards was convicted for making indecent images of children. However the broadcaster received criticism for not taking him off air sooner, as Edwards continued to draw his salary even following his arrest.
Gregg Wallace
The BBC was further rocked when another household name, Gregg Wallace, was forced to step back from presenting after 13 individuals accused him of making inappropriate comments.
An independent investigation found that the MasterChef presenter had made a series ‘culturally insensitive’ and ‘sexual’ remarks, with the BBC confirming in July it would no longer work with him.
In his response, Wallace blamed the BBC for failing to accommodate his neurodiversity and ‘peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip’.
Strictly Come Dancing welfare allegations
Another source of grievance came from former contestants of the broadcaster’s flagship Saturday night show, Strictly Come Dancing.
The floodgates opened after Amanda Abbington went public in January 2024 about her professional partner, Giovanni Pernice’s training methods.
Complaints were also brought against Graziano Di Prima who was said to have reduced his 2023 partner Zara McDermott to tears during training. Both professionals were since dropped from the show.
Another 2023 contestant, Wynne Evans, became embroiled in a scandal due to alleged sexualised remarks about professional dancers.
Trump Capitol Speech Panorama
Earlier this week the BBC came under renewed pressure after it transpired that it had spliced two comments in a Trump speech given in January 2021 made 50 minutes apart, making it appear as one continuous incitement of violence.
The latest scandal came to light following the revelation of an internal memo in the Telegraph.
Among critics calling for Mr Davie’s resignation were former PM Boris Johnson, who wrote he would withhold his license fee until someone at the BBC ‘took responsibility’.
What claims were made over the Trump video?
Critics have accused the Panorama video of being misleading as the clip did not include Trump’s words that he wanted to supporters at the Capitol to protest peacefully.
The US president accused the BBC and its bosses of trying to ‘step on the scales of a presidential election.’
However, government ministers have rejected suggestions that the BBC was institutionally biased.
Who else has resigned from the BBC?
It’s not just Davie who has had to bow out.
The CEO of news, Deborah Turness, also announced her resignation on Sunday evening.
Tim Davie’s resignation note
The director general sent the following note to staff as he stepped down: ‘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.’
He said is is ‘working through exact timings with the Board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.’
Turness said the Trump controversy has ‘reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC — an institution that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me.’
She continued: ‘In public life leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down,” she said in a note to staff. “While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.’
What has the BBC said?
Samir Shah, the chairman of the BBC, said when the resignation was announced: ‘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.
‘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.’
Shah is expected to answer questions from MPs today.
Who could replace him as director general?
The selection of the next director general rests with the BBC board.
Along with Shad, the board has 10 non-executive members and four executive members.
They are expected to choose the 18th director general in the coming months.
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