The BBC has apologised to U.S. President Donald Trump for a Panorama edit that wrongly gave the impression he directly called for violence in his 6 January 2021 speech. The corporation has withdrawn the 2024 programme but says there is “no basis” for Trump’s $1bn compensation demand.

Trump’s lawyers threatened legal action unless the BBC retracted the documentary, apologised, and paid damages. The BBC confirmed it has responded to the letter, and Chair Samir Shah sent a personal apology to the White House, while stressing the edit was an unintentional attempt to shorten a long speech.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the corporation was treating the matter seriously but warned that inconsistent editorial standards and political appointments had harmed trust in the BBC. The fallout has already led to the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness.

The controversy deepened after a second edited clip—aired on Newsnight in 2022—was revealed, again combining separate lines from Trump’s speech. Former Trump aide Mick Mulvaney had previously criticised the sequence.

In its legal response, the BBC argued the Panorama episode did not air in the U.S., caused no harm to Trump, contained no malice, and was part of a wider programme featuring multiple perspectives. Trump’s team says the edits show a “pattern of defamation”, while the BBC maintains it is reviewing the issue and remains committed to high editorial standards.