The BBC has issued a formal apology to US President Donald Trump after admitting that a Panorama documentary broadcast in 2024 spliced together sections of his 6 January 2021 speech in a way that created “the mistaken impression” he had directly called for violent action. However, the corporation has rejected Trump’s demand for $1bn (£759m) in damages, insisting there is no basis for a defamation claim.
Lawyers for President Trump have threatened to sue the BBC unless it retracts the programme, apologises, and compensates him. In a letter sent on Sunday, Trump’s legal team accused the broadcaster of “butchering” his words and “defrauding” viewers. The Panorama edit showed Trump saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” In reality, the remarks were delivered more than 50 minutes apart.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said the edit was “deliberately misleading” and had damaged his reputation.
In its Corrections and Clarifications section published Thursday evening, the BBC admitted the edit unintentionally gave the impression of a continuous speech. BBC chair Samir Shah also sent a personal letter to the White House apologising to Trump. However, the corporation’s lawyers outlined five reasons why they believe the lawsuit has no merit:
- The programme was not broadcast in the US and was restricted to UK audiences.
- Trump suffered no harm, as he was re-elected shortly after.
- The edit was intended to shorten a lengthy speech, not mislead.
- The clip was part of a wider hour-long programme that included pro-Trump voices.
- Political speech is heavily protected under US defamation law.
The controversy has triggered a wider debate about BBC editorial standards. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast she was confident the corporation was treating the matter with “the seriousness it demands,” but later criticised its guidelines as “not robust enough” and inconsistently applied. She suggested senior editorial figures with journalistic backgrounds were needed at the top of the organisation.
Nandy also raised concerns about political appointments to the BBC board, saying they had “damaged confidence and trust in the BBC’s impartiality.” Her comments came amid questions about board member Sir Robbie Gibb, a former adviser to Theresa May.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the prime minister to “get on the phone to Trump” to defend the BBC’s independence and prevent the lawsuit.
The scandal has already led to the resignations of director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.
Hours before the apology, the Daily Telegraph revealed a second edited clip from a 2022 Newsnight broadcast. In that version, Trump’s words were spliced to suggest a direct link between his call to “fight like hell” and the Capitol riots. Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney criticised the edit at the time, saying it misrepresented the speech.
Trump’s lawyers now argue the BBC engaged in a “pattern of defamation.” The Telegraph also published a leaked internal memo from a former adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, which criticised the corporation’s handling of Trump’s speech, its reporting on trans issues, and BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.
The BBC has said it will not rebroadcast the Panorama episode and is reviewing its editorial practices. The corporation was given a deadline of 22:00 GMT Friday to respond formally to Trump’s legal team. BBC News has approached the White House for comment.
