A parliamentary committee has interrogated senior BBC figures about the internal crisis that led to the resignation of the broadcaster's director general, following the leak of a controversial memo from a former adviser.
The Memo That Shook the BBC
The culture, media and sport committee questioned Michael Prescott, the external adviser whose memo prompted Tim Davie's resignation as director general alongside head of news Deborah Turness. The document claimed the corporation faced serious systemic problems and alleged liberal bias in coverage of the US election, Gaza, racial diversity and transgender issues.
Prescott told MPs he authored the memo because he's a strong BBC supporter, insisting the corporation isn't institutionally biased but suffers from worsening incipient problems with systemic causes that require real work to address.
Controversy Over Memo's Nature and Leak
The BBC chair Samir Shah previously described Prescott's memo as partial and personal. Caroline Daniel, another former editorial adviser, confirmed it didn't provide a comprehensive view of internal reports, particularly regarding the Panorama documentary about Donald Trump.
Prescott accepted this characterisation, explaining his document represented edited highlights intended to prompt BBC board action rather than a comprehensive account. He insisted no ideology or party politics motivated his memo and denied leaking it publicly.
The adviser revealed he initially shared the document only with the 14 BBC board members before escalating to culture department officials and Ofcom when unsatisfied with the response. He expressed displeasure about its subsequent leak to The Telegraph, suggesting this indicated bad faith from politically left-leaning recipients.
Fallout and Structural Concerns
Regarding the controversial Panorama documentary that spliced parts of Donald Trump's speech, Prescott surprisingly downplayed its significance. He suggested the editing issue could have been a weird accident rather than evidence of a bigger problem and doubted it substantially tarnished Trump's reputation.
Both Prescott and Daniel expressed concerns about the BBC leadership structure, with Prescott suggesting the director general role has become too large for one person. He proposed creating an editor-in-chief position alongside the director general, while Daniel advocated for a deputy director general.
Prescott described former director general Tim Davie as a supreme talent with a blind spot on editorial failings. The crisis has triggered internal talk of a rightwing coup, board splits and operational delays at the broadcaster, which now faces a potential $1 billion lawsuit from Donald Trump.
