Tim Davie stepping down as director-general of the BBC comes after a number of controversies confronted by the broadcaster in recent times.
“Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Mr Davie has been within the function for 5 years and on the BBC for 20 in whole, having beforehand labored as director of selling, director of audio and music, and chief government of BBC Studios.
Listed below are the controversies the broadcaster has confronted in recent times.
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Tim Davie is stepping down as director-general after 5 years. Pic: PA
The Trump documentary edit
A memo despatched in the summertime by a former exterior adviser to the BBC’s editorial requirements committee, highlighting the edit of a Donald Trump speech in addition to different considerations about impartiality, was first reported by The Every day Telegraph on Tuesday.
The considerations regard clips spliced collectively from sections of a speech made by the US president on 6 January 2021, featured within the Panorama programme Trump: A Second Likelihood?
It made it seem that Mr Trump informed supporters he was going to stroll to the US Capitol with them to “fight like hell”, though the quotes have been made throughout separate elements of the speech. The episode was broadcast by the BBC the week earlier than final yr’s US election.
Bob Vylan at Glastonbury
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Bob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan on stage at Glastonbury. Pic: PA
In July, punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led chants of “death to the IDF” whereas on stage at Glastonbury, a efficiency which was live-streamed as a part of the BBC’s protection of the pageant.
Afterwards, the broadcaster stated it will now not reside broadcast “high risk” performances, and steered disciplinary motion may very well be taken towards workers who didn’t halt the stream.
The BBC’s Government Complaints Unit obtained 4 complaints in regards to the efficiency regarding incitement to violence, terrorism or ethnic cleaning, hate speech and expressions of antisemitism.
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Trump hits out at ‘dishonest’ BBC
In a ruling given in September, it discovered the stream of the efficiency had breached its editorial requirements.
MasterChef
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Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
In the identical month, presenter Gregg Wallace was sacked from cooking present MasterChef after an investigation into historic allegations of misconduct upheld a number of accusations towards him. These first emerged in the direction of the top of 2024.
Wallace, who co-presented the present for nearly 20 years, stated he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate”, but additionally stated in an announcement launched forward of the publication of a abstract of the report that he had been “cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations” made towards him.
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Mark Stone: Trump enjoys ‘having a scalp’ as BBC director-general resigns
His co-presenter John Torode left the present the next week after an allegation he used an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, the BBC stated.
In October, Wallace introduced he was suing the broadcaster for “distress and harassment”.
Gary Lineker
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Pic: PA 2024
No stranger to controversy throughout his previous few years on the BBC, Gary Lineker stepped down from internet hosting Match Of The Day and World Cup protection in Might.
It got here after he apologised unreservedly for sharing a social media publish from the Palestine Foyer group that had been illustrated with a rat – which has been used to signify Jewish folks in antisemitic propaganda, together with Nazi Germany.
He stated he had not identified in regards to the rat’s symbolism.
“I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for,” Lineker stated in an announcement as he confirmed his resignation. “However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
The previous England star had beforehand been quickly suspended from the BBC in March 2023, after an impartiality row over feedback he made criticising the then Conservative authorities’s asylum coverage.
His non permanent suspension led pundits Ian Wright and Alan Shearer to each announce they might not seem on Match of the Day, and a shortened present went forward with out commentary, pundit evaluation, or post-match interviews.
Gaza documentary
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Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah have been questioned in regards to the documentary by the Tradition, Media and Sport Committee earlier this yr. Pic: PA
Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was pulled from BBC iPlayer in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old boy narrating the programme was the son of a deputy minister within the Hamas-run authorities.
The documentary was made by impartial manufacturing firm Hoyo Movies.
A BBC assessment into the controversial programme stated three members of the impartial manufacturing firm knew in regards to the function of the boy’s father – however nobody inside the company was conscious.
In July, the BBC stated it had breached its personal editorial pointers by failing to reveal the complete identification of the kid narrator’s father – Ayman Alyazouri, who has labored as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
In October, an Ofcom investigation discovered the documentary had breached the broadcasting code.
Huw Edwards
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Huw Edwards appeard in court docket in September 2024. Pic: PA
Just some months later, it emerged he had remained one of many broadcaster’s highest-paid stars of the yr, regardless of his suspension.
Days later, new allegations emerged – and he was charged and pleaded responsible in court docket to 3 counts of “making” indecent photos of youngsters, after receiving the unlawful photos as a part of a WhatsApp dialog.
The court docket heard how he paid as much as £1,500 to a paedophile who despatched him 41 unlawful photos between December 2020 and August 2021, seven of which have been of essentially the most severe sort.
The disgraced broadcaster averted jail, however was given a six-month suspended sentence.
Strictly Come Dancing
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Pic: BBC
Forward of the 2024 sequence of BBC favorite Strictly Come Dancing, producers stated they might introduce workers chaperones into all future rehearsals.
It adopted the departure of two skilled dancers following complaints about their behaviour.
Abbington described an apology from the company as vindication, whereas Pernice denied displaying “abusive or threatening behaviour” and stated the vast majority of the complaints had not been upheld.
One other skilled dancer, Graziano Di Prima, additionally left the present amid studies of alleged misconduct.
Apology over Diana interview
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Diana, Princess of Wales, throughout her interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC in 1995. Pic: PA
In 2021, a report into Martin Bashir’s bombshell 1995 programme with Princess Diana discovered the journalist had “deceived and induced” her brother to safe the interview.
Through the use of faux financial institution statements, Mr Bashir made a “serious breach” of BBC pointers on straight-dealing, the Lord Dyson report concluded.
Mr Davie, who was not on the BBC on the time the programme was made, issued a “full and unconditional” apology after the findings have been launched, and the company despatched written apologies to Prince William and Prince Harry, in addition to to Prince Charles and Earl Spencer.
Mr Bashir additionally apologised and stated the faking of financial institution statements was a “stupid thing to do” and “an action I deeply regret”, however added he felt it had “no bearing whatsoever on the personal choice by Princess Diana to take part in the interview”.
