BBC boss ‘regrets’ mistakes over Trump Panorama doc and reveals ‘internal rift’ delayed public apology

GROVELLING BBC boss Samir Shah today admitted he “regrets” the botched Donald Trump documentary and was “too slow” to respond.

revealed a rift among senior figures caused major delays to an apology for .

BBC chairman Samir Shah said he ‘regrets’ the editing of the Donald Trump speechCredit: PA Donald Trump has warned he will seek billions in damages from the BBCCredit: EPA

The sorry saga saw the US President from the corporation.

Appearing at a grilling by the Commons Culture Committee, Mr Shah said: “I regret the mistakes that have been made and the impact that it’s had.”

At the hearing, his fellow board member Caroline Thomson said there was a “continuing and sharp difference of opinion” over .

Ms Thomson said the board wanted to say sorry not just for the misleading editing of Mr Trump’s speech during the Capitol Hill riots, but also for the impact it had.

But , the outgoing director of news, thought the “edit was justified” and just “should have been more transparent”.

Ms Thomson said: “We felt that the edit had led to a more profound problem.

“And indeed, your quotation of the editorial guidelines is absolutely right.

“We felt it violated them.”

Mr Shah denied that “chaotic” infighting created a damaging silence that hurt the Beeb’s brand.

He added: “There was a differing set of opinions around it. There was a plausible case [that] this edit… There was a case for, as it were, the edit. This was discussed and debated and there was a difference of opinion across the board.

“Looking back, it would have been better for us to pursue it then.”

It came as Michael Prescott, the author of the explosive leaked report, claimed outgoing Director General maintained a “blind spot” over bias failings.

He argued Mr Davie, who resigned in the wake of the memo, failed to see where the corporation was making the wrong calls.

The search for a replacement Director General is under way.

Mr Prescott, a former adviser on editorial standards, declared it was a “tragedy” that Mr Davie resigned because he was a “supreme talent”.

However, the ex-journalist also slammed “issues of denial” at the broadcaster and warned “the management did not accept there was a problem” with Panorama.

Samir Shah had previously apologised for the “error of judgement”Credit: PA

Mr Prescott’s memo raised concerns about how clips of Mr Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, were spliced to make it look like he had told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to “fight like hell”.

The US President has since threatened the Beeb with litigation after the report was made public, while US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an .

The report also flagged major concerns about biased reporting on Gaza and trans issues.

Mr Prescott said the US President’s reputation “probably hadn’t” been tarnished by the edit.