The BBC has been thrown into crisis after airing an edited version of Donald Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech that critics say falsely portrayed him as inciting the Capitol riot. The fallout has led to the resignations of BBC director-general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness.
The Panorama documentary, titled Trump: A Second Chance, featured a version of Trump’s remarks that appeared to show him urging supporters to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol — without including his calls for peaceful protest.
Edited Clip (as broadcast):
“We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you and we fight. We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Unedited Transcript (as delivered):
“We’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you, we’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women… I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
The discrepancy triggered outrage from Trump’s supporters and the White House, who accused the BBC of “doctoring” footage to fit a political narrative.
INSANE: BBC Panorama *edited footage* of Trump’s speech to make it look like he encouraged the Capitol Hill riot.
The Trump hating leftists at the BBC broadcast the programme a week before the US election.
Scrap the licence fee. pic.twitter.com/b40Njc9mIp
— Lee Harris (@addicted2newz) November 3, 2025
Following the resignations, President Trump posted on Truth Social:
“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. What a terrible thing for Democracy!”
Trump’s legal team has demanded a full retraction, public apology, and financial compensation, alleging that the Panorama broadcast contained “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements.” They have given the BBC until November 14, 2025, to comply or face a civil lawsuit seeking $1 billion in damages.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed receipt of the legal letter, stating only that the broadcaster “will review the correspondence and respond in due course.”
