BBC boss Tim Davie to quit after furious blatant bias scandal

Tim Davie is quitting his role as director-general of the BBC, it has been reported. The broadcaster's director-general said it was "entirely his decision" to step back from the role after 20 years. "I remain very thankful to the chair and board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days," he added in a statement.

The announcement follows a week of damaging disclosures about the BBC's editorial practices, including the manipulation of a Donald Trump speech in a Panorama documentary and allegations of skewed reporting on the Israel-Hamas war. The taxpayer-funded corporation is expected to apologise on Monday following concerns about its impartiality.

The revelations stemmed from a leaked internal dossier and have intensified public scrutiny of the broadcaster ahead of its Royal Charter renewal in 2027.

The dossier, penned by former standards advisor Michael Prescott, revealed "despair at inaction" by BBC executives over impartiality failures, including "effective censorship" of transgender coverage and alleged downplaying of Israeli suffering in the Hamas war.

Mr Prescott will testify before Parliament on these issues next week, drawing from 10 unreleased reports on everything from US election slants to Gaza war reporting and BBC News app alerts.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the BBC had been "caught red-handed in multiple acts of Left-wing bias" in a public tirade earlier this week.

"They have grotesquely doctored a speech by President Trump. They have taken the words of Hamas as gospel. They have suppressed debate about the trans issue," Mr Johnson told The Telegraph.

"Anyone who owns a TV is compelled to fund this organisation. Tim Davie must either explain or resign."

In his resignation letter, Mr Davie admitted that "mistakes had been made" under his leadership and said "the current debate around BBC News" had "understandably" factored into his decision to step down.

"In this increasingly polarised times, the BBC is of unique value and speaks to the very best of us," he continued. "It helps make the UK a special place; overwhelmingly kind, tolerant and curious.

"Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable ... Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general, I have to take ultimate responsibility."

Mr Davie said his departure will nto be immediate and that he is "working through" timings to ensure an "orderly transition" over the coming months.