How scandals at the BBC have rocked its leadership over the years

The BBC's apical person and caput of its quality part are the latest leaders astatine the instauration to beryllium forced retired by controversies, this clip implicit disapproval of however it edited U.S. President Donald Trump’s code earlier the Capitol riot connected Jan. 6, 2021

LONDON -- The BBC’s apical person and caput of its quality part resigned implicit disapproval of however the broadcaster edited U.S President Donald Trump’s code earlier immoderate of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.

The ungraded starring to Sunday’s resignations is hardly the archetypal contention to deed Britain’s publically funded broadcaster — oregon to topple 1 of its leaders.

The editorially autarkic British Broadcasting Corp. was founded successful 1922 to beryllium impartial, enactment successful the nationalist involvement and beryllium open, transparent and accountable. While it is wide respected for its planetary quality cognition and the amusement and sports programs it produces, it is often the root of disapproval for its sum and has besides been ensnared successful scandals that happened disconnected the air.

Here’s a look astatine immoderate controversies oregon scandals that person forced retired immoderate of the BBC's leaders:

November 2012: George Entwistle resigned arsenic director-general implicit the Newsnight program’s determination not to tally a study that entertainer Jimmy Savile, 1 of its astir fashionable presenters who had died the erstwhile year, was a serial intersexual abuser of young women. The broadcaster had besides wrongly linked a salient person to kid enactment abuse. Entwistle held the occupation little than 2 months due to the fact that helium failed to explicate lapses that damaged nationalist assurance successful the BBC.

April 2023: BBC Chairman Richard Sharp quit aft a study recovered helium failed to disclose a imaginable struggle of involvement implicit his relation successful arranging a indebtedness much than 2 years earlier for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Sharp, a erstwhile banker, was appointed to the BBC station connected the government’s proposal weeks aft helping put the enactment of credit.

2021: Davie apologized aft a study recovered that Martin Bashir had utilized fake slope records to deceive Princess Diana's member to onshore his explosive interrogation with her successful 1995. Davie, who was not astatine the BBC astatine the time, offered a afloat and unconditional apology, on with written apologies to then-Prince Charles and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

July 2023: Huw Edwards, the highest paid quality anchor, was suspended with afloat wage implicit allegations helium paid a teen for sexually explicit photos. He aboriginal pleaded blameworthy and was fixed a suspended situation condemnation for having unrelated images of kid intersexual maltreatment connected his phone.

June 2025: BBC is condemned for livestreaming a performance by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who led crowds astatine this year’s Glastonbury Festival successful chanting “death” to the Israeli military. The BBC's complaints portion aboriginal recovered the broadcast broke editorial guidelines successful narration to harm and offense, though it was cleared of breaching impartiality rules oregon being apt to incite oregon promote crime. Davie apologized, saying helium profoundly regretted “such violative and deplorable behavior” was aired.

October 2025: Britain’s media regulator sanctioned the BBC for a “materially misleading” documentary connected the lives of children successful Gaza due to the fact that it failed to disclose that the begetter of the teen narrator held a presumption successful the Hamas administration.

November 2025: BBC Director-General Tim Davie and quality main Deborah Turness resigned aft the BBC’s Panorama documentary programme misleadingly spliced unneurotic parts of Trump’s code that were delivered implicit astir an hour. It appeared to beryllium 1 punctuation successful which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight similar hell,” omitting a conception wherever the president said helium wanted supporters to show peacefully.

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