Outgoing BBC Director praises its journalists amid resignation and Trump controversy

The outgoing boss of the British Broadcasting Corporation said he was "very proud" of the BBC's journalists, two days after he quit following accusations of bias and the threat of legal action from U.S. President Donald Trump.

"I'm very, very proud of our journalists in this building. They're doing work I think is incredibly important," Tim Davie said on Tuesday, the first time he has spoken publicly since announcing his resignation on Sunday.

"They're doing a wonderful job," he added.

Davie, who has been Director General since 2020, also tried to calm worries over the future of the broadcaster.

"The BBC is going to be thriving, and I support everyone on the team," he said.

The publicly-funded BBC Head of News Deborah Turness, also quit on Sunday, plunging it into its biggest crisis in decades and dominating the front of Britain's newspapers on Tuesday.

Public trust

Analysts say the resignations have exposed deep frictions over governance and editorial standards, raising questions about whether the BBC can maintain public trust.

Legal action

An internal memo by a former BBC adviser accused it of editorial failings on President Donald Trump, the Israel-Hamas war and transgender coverage.

Trump has now threatened legal action for the editing of a speech he made in 2021 on the day his supporters overran the Capitol.

His lawyers said that BBC must retract the "Panorama" documentary by 14 November or face a lawsuit for "no less" than $1 billion, according to a letter sent on Sunday.

BBC apologises

BBC chair Samir Shah apologised for the "error of judgment" in the edit included in a Panorama documentary aired shortly before the November 2024 U.S. presidential election.

In a letter to British lawmakers, Shah also rejected claims of systemic bias, saying surveys showed Britons trusted BBC News more than any other outlet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the BBC was not "corrupt" or "institutionally biased" and stressed the need for it to maintain high standards.

The programme - produced by a third party - spliced together remarks delivered nearly an hour apart, omitting Trump's call for peaceful protest, creating the impression he urged violence.

The BBC, founded in 1922 and funded largely by a licence fee paid by all TV-owning households, is now without a permanent leader as it faces a review of its funding model.

The current 10-year charter expires in 2027. This is the Royal charter that is a constitutional document that guarentees the BBC's independence from the government.

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