BBC star Nick Robinson today accused the broadcaster of paralysis over the Panorama scandal that led to the departure of its director general and head of news.
The Radio 4 presenter gave a monologue on the Today programme this morning, sharing his thoughts and observations on the row which has rocked the BBC, leaving the corporation to search for replacements for its two highest positions.
Director general Mr Davie and Ms Turness, chief executive of BBC News, sensationally stepped down amid an impartiality row after an internal report accused it of institutional bias and censorship.
The row began over an edition of the flagship current affairs programme Panorama in which two clips of Donald Trump‘s speech were spliced together, despite having been said an hour apart.
In a section of Trump: A Second Chance? which focused on the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, Trump was shown telling his supporters that he was going to walk to the Capitol with them to ‘fight like hell’ when in fact what he said was that he would walk with them ‘to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard’.
Concerns about the documentary were raised by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee.
Last night President Trump branded the broadcaster a ‘terrible thing for democracy’ and said its ‘corrupt journalists’ had been exposed.
In a monologue this morning Mr Robinson, one of the BBC’s highest earners, said these are ‘not normal times’ at the broadcaster as he detailed the scenes from inside this week.
BBC star Nick Robinson accused the BBC of paralysis over its handling of the Panorama scandal
Mr Robinson gave a monologue on the Today Programme on Radio 4 today following the fallout
He said: ‘Ever since rumours of the resignation surfaced, I have been piecing together what happened that led to this crisis.
‘Those at the top of the BBC have appeared paralysed last week, unable to agree what to say – not just about the editing of that speech, but wider claims of institutional bias.
‘One source described the arguments ever since Telegraph leaked memo by a former advisor to the BBC Board as “like armed combat”, another alleged “political interference” after what they described as a “hostile takeover” of parts of the BBC.’
The presenter said a statement which was being prepared by BBC News executives, the journalists who run the news division, last week was set to apologise for the mistake.
He said they had agreed a statement saying it had ‘been a mistake to edit together two different sections of President Trump’s speech on the day of the Capitol Hill riots, without clearly signalling to the audience that edit had been made’.
It would have said ‘despite this error, there was no intention to mislead the audience’ Robinson added.
The BBC Board refused to sign off the statement and are still yet to release a statement about the Trump speech.
It was a leaked report by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the corporation’s editorial watchdog, which eventually brought down the director-general.
Director general Tim Davie quit the BBC last night after five years in the corporation’s top job
In a 19-page document, he accused corporation of doctoring a speech by Mr Trump and censoring the debate on transgender issues, and said its Gaza coverage had been biased.
Yet the BBC has still not released a statement responding to the allegations made in the leaked document.
Robinson added: ‘The argument which raged on the BBC board ensured neither defended itself nor admitted its mistakes for day after long day after the leaking of the Prescott dossier alleging institutional bias.
‘As criticism mounted from the White House, from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and many others, the BBC merely said that it would not comment on leaked documents, whilst promising the chairman Samir Shah would respond in writing to MPs on the culture, media and sport select committee.’
Mr Robinson then singled out board member Sir Robbie Gibb over his views that the BBC did have a problem of institutional bias.
He added: ‘A majority of the BBC board appear to agree with their editorial advisor, that there is a problem of institutional bias reflected in that coverage, not just of Donald Trump but of Gaza and Israel and also Trans rights.
‘That argument has been led in particular by one board member, Sir Robbie Gibb – a former BBC executive in charge of political programmes, who became Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street Director of Communications, is one of those involved in the founding of GB News and a supporter of the Conservative Party.
‘Friends of Sir Robbie insist he has repeatedly and consistently supported Tim Davie as director general and wanted him to stay.’
Donald Trump last night condemned the ‘corrupt’ BBC as he tore into director-general Tim Davie
Robinson revealed that as the row has continued to paralyse the BBC this week, its board members have still not agreed on the statement which was promised by chairman Samir Shah.
He said that statement may finally be released this morning.
In a final thought to listeners, Robinson said ‘at the time of the transmission of the Panorama film back in 2024, there were no complaints about the editing of Donald Trump’s speech.’
Mr Davie’s resignation brings to an end to a 20-year career at the BBC which saw him rise from director of marketing, communications and audiences.
Since he took the top job in 2020, the corporation has faced many crises, including the prosecution of newsreader Huw Edwards over possession of indecent images of children, the axing of MasterChef presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode, and the airing of a performance of Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, when its lead singer chanted ‘Death to the IDF’.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday night, US President Donald Trump wrote: ‘The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.
‘These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!’
He also shared a Daily Mail column from Boris Johnson, where the former Prime Minister vowed to withhold his licence fee unless Mr Davie broke his silence on the incident or resigned.
Deborah Turness (pictured in January 2023), chief executive of BBC News, also stepped down
Mr Davie said he wanted to hand over to a new director-general ahead of Royal Charter renewal negotiations with the Government, which will decide the broadcaster’s future funding model.
In a note to staff on Sunday, he said: ‘Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable. 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.’
BBC chairman Mr Shah said: ‘This is a sad day for the BBC. Tim has been an outstanding director-general for the last five years. 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. The whole board respects the decision and the reasons for it.’
Ms Turness, who was poached from ITN by Mr Davie three years ago, told staff: ‘The ongoing controversy around the Panorama on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love. In public life, leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down.
‘While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.’
The BBC has been criticised for a number of failings in recent months which include breaching its own accuracy editorial guidelines, livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan Glastonbury set, as well as misconduct allegations surrounding former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace.
Leading politicians have said the BBC must change to rebuild its reputation.
The US President shared a Daily Mail column from Boris Johnson, where the former Prime Minister vowed to withhold his licence fee
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the corporation needs ‘to turn a new leaf’ while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called for “top-to-bottom” reform.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said it was the BBC’s ‘last chance’, adding: ‘I don’t want to abolish the BBC, I make that very clear, but we cannot have the BBC being seen to be our main national news broadcaster if it cannot perform in a straightforward, simple, unbiased way.’
Government minister Louise Sandher-Jones rejected suggestions the BBC was institutionally biased.
The veterans minister told Sky News: ‘When you look at the huge range of domestic issues, local issues, international issues, that it has to cover, I think its output is very trusted.
‘When I speak to people who’ve got very strongly held views on those, they’re still using the BBC for a lot of their information, it’s forming their views on this.
‘I think we can all point to elements of BBC broadcasting of news and say ‘well, that reflects my views, and that doesn’t’ and that’s absolutely right, that we should be able to say that.’
Asked about Donald Trump’s comments on the BBC, she said: ‘President Trump will obviously speak for himself.
‘Tim Davie and Deborah Turness have been quite clear that it’s their decision that they’ve stepped down and I note that the board has thanked them for their service and had said that it had supported them.
‘But they’ve, as they’ve said, taken accountability for what the BBC has put out. I think it is very important that public figures have accountability.’
The BBC’s board has not properly defended the corporation, a former Downing Street communications chief has suggested.
Sir Craig Oliver, who is also a former BBC news executive, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the problems at the corporation ‘matter’, adding ‘the BBC is an enormous institution with a huge impact on British life’.
‘What I think has gone wrong here, I think is really an issue of the governance of the institution,’ Sir Craig said.
‘We’re living in a fast-moving digital world where there are a lot of people who want to attack the BBC, and what we’ve seen is really a vacuum that has been created.
‘It’s been obvious for days now that the BBC needed to step up, explain, apologise, move on.
‘And what we’ve seen is the governance of the BBC saying, “we’ll get back to you on Monday – we’ll leave that for days. We’ll allow the President of the United States to be attacking the institution, and we’re not going to properly defend it”.’
