BBC names Rhodri Talfan Davies as interim director general following Tim Davie’s resignation over a controversial Trump documentary
LONDON: The BBC has appointed Rhodri Talfan Davies as its interim director general following the resignation of Tim Davie.
Davie stepped down last November after a controversy involving a documentary that edited a 2021 speech by former US President Donald Trump.
Davies will take over on April 2 and serve until a permanent replacement is found.
BBC chair Samir Shah said Davies is “an outstanding leader who brings deep editorial experience” to the role.
He also praised Davies’s “passionate commitment to the power of public broadcasting.”
The leadership change comes as the BBC faces a USD 10 billion lawsuit from Trump.
The lawsuit concerns a “Panorama” documentary that spliced sections of Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech.
This editing made it appear he explicitly urged supporters to attack the US Capitol.
Trump is seeking at least USD 5 billion for alleged defamation and violation of a Florida trade practices act.
The BBC intends to ask a US federal court in Florida to dismiss the suit.
It will argue the court lacks jurisdiction and that Trump cannot prove the documentary caused him injury.
The programme aired before the 2024 election but was not broadcast in the United States.
Davies was previously director of BBC Wales for nine years before becoming head of nations in 2021.
He has also been leading the broadcaster’s strategy on its Generative AI project.
