Trump threatens $1bn legal action against BBC over 6 January speech edit
Nov 11, 2025
Washington DC [US], November 11: The BBC is facing potential legal action from Donald Trump after a leaked memo highlighted issues with how a speech from the president was edited for a documentary broadcast before last year's US election.
The memo, written by former BBC adviser Michael Prescott, pointed to the way the Panorama documentary had stitched together separate sections of Trump's speech. The result gave the appearance that Trump had encouraged the Capitol Hill riots.
On Sunday evening, BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness handed in their resignations. BBC chair Samir Shah later acknowledged an "error of judgement" with the edit.
For the White House, though, more needs to be done - lawyers for Trump have demanded three actions: a retraction of the documentary, an apology, and compensation.
If the broadcaster does not comply, lawyers will proceed with legal action - seeking a sum of $1bn (£760m) in damages.
The issue is still developing, as we've yet to see the BBC comment on the legal threat. Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, will also hold an all-staff call tomorrow.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
