The resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness come after a newspaper report suggested that a BBC Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing a speech by US President Donald Trump.

The Telegraph published details, external of a leaked internal BBC memo suggesting the programme edited two parts of Trump's speech together so he appeared to explicitly encourage the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.

The leaked memo came from Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the broadcaster's editorial standards committee. He left the role in June.

Prescott raised concerns over the documentary Trump: A Second Chance?, which was broadcast last year and made for the BBC by independent production company October Films Ltd, which was also approached for comment.

On Sunday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the Panorama issue was "very serious" - but there were a series of "very serious allegations" that had been made about the broadcaster, "the most serious of which is that there is systemic bias in the way that difficult issues are reported at the BBC".

We are now hearing from BBC Chair Samir Shah, who extends his sincere gratitude to both Tim Davie and Deborah Turness for their "unwavering service and commitment to the BBC".

"This is a sad day for the BBC," Shah says.

He says that he understands the "continued pressure on him, personally and professionally, which has led him to take this decision today".

"The whole Board respects the decision and the reasons for it."

Shah adds that Davie is a "devoted and inspirational" who has "achieved a great deal".

Image source, Reuters

We can now bring you some comments from Tim Davie following his resignation:

"I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days.

"I am working through exact timings with the Board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.

"I have been reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times, combined with the fact that I want to give a successor time to help shape the Charter plans they will be delivering.

"In these increasingly polarised times, the BBC is of unique value and speaks to the very best of us. 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. While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.

"Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility."

BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resign following criticism that a BBC Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing a speech by US President Donald Trump.

We'll have more on this shortly.