Final day as BBC director-general for Tim Davie

Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie will step down from his post on Thursday after the broadcaster faced several controversies in recent years.

Mr Davie will be replaced by interim director-general, Rhodri Talfan Davies, on April 2, before former Google boss Matt Brittin becomes permanent director-general on May 18.

Mr Davie succeeded Lord Tony Hall as director-general in September 2020 during a turbulent time for the broadcaster following a row about the licence fee, issues around gender pay and increased competition from streaming services.

During his tenure, the corporation has faced a number of controversies, most notably on its editorial coverage which has led to a 10 billion dollar lawsuit from US President Donald Trump over the editing of a Panorama documentary which prompted the former’s resignation in November.

The lawsuit claimed the documentary, which was broadcast in 2024, had given the impression Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol building in 2021 after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.

The corporation filed a motion to dismiss the Florida lawsuit in which it warned of the “chilling effect” it would have on “robust reporting on public figures and events”.

More recently the corporation faced criticism for allowing a racial slur to be broadcast during the Bafta Film Awards which came after a previous editing incident over the summer when the BBC continued to livestream the Bob Vylan Glastonbury set as they led chants of “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”.

His time as the head of the corporation also saw one of the BBC’s highest paid newsreaders, Huw Edwards, plead guilty to making indecent images of children and admit to having 41 photographs on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type.

Edwards, known for presenting the BBC’s News At Ten for decades and delivering some of the biggest stories to the British public including Queen Elizabeth II’s death, was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

After his guilty plea in July 2024, the BBC asked him to return his salary, which he was paid during the period following his arrest in November 2023 until he resigned in April 2024.

The BBC was questioned about why the presenter was still paid five months after he had been arrested.

Mr Davie signs off days after Radio 2 breakfast host Scott Mills had his contract with the broadcaster terminated after allegations about his “personal conduct”.

On Wednesday, the DJ confirmed a police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence in 2017 was about him and that he was subjected to “rumour and speculation” since the BBC announced his sacking earlier this week.

The BBC admitted that it knew about the investigation when it happened but said it “acted decisively” after receiving “new information”.