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Production company behind Panorama episode on Donald Trump now working on BBC documentary on Nigel Farage

The production company behind a BBC Panorama episode at the centre of a row is working on a new documentary about Nigel Farage.

October Films was behind the episode which spliced together two parts of a speech Trump gave on January 6, 2021, before the storming of the Capitol by his supporters.

A BBC insider told The Times the corporation would continue to work with October Films and that no one was blaming its staff.

Mr Farage had issued a warning about the broadcaster, accusing the broadcaster of having “deeply offended the leader of the free world”.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said it was the BBC’s “last chance”.

He said: “I don’t want to abolish the BBC, I make that very clear, but we cannot have the BBC being seen to be our main national news broadcaster if it cannot perform in a straightforward, simple, unbiased way.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the corporation needs “to turn a new leaf.”

Meanwhile, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called for “top-to-bottom” reform.

Nigel Farage

The outgoing chief executive of BBC News has stressed the corporation is “not institutionally biased” and the journalists are not “corrupt.”

Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday alongside director-general Tim Davie over concerns raised in Michael Prescott’s report about the way a speech by Donald Trump was edited for Panorama.

Arriving at Broadcasting House in central London, she told reporters: “I would like to say it has been the privilege of my career to serve as the CEO of BBC News and to work with our brilliant team of journalists.

“I stepped down over the weekend because the buck stops with me.

“But I’d like to make one thing very clear, BBC News is not institutionally biased. That’s why it’s the world’s most trusted news provider.”

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

A timeline of BBC scandals overseen by Tim Davieu200b

When she was pressed if BBC journalists are institutionally corrupt, she replied: “Of course our journalists aren’t corrupt, our journalists are hard working people who strive for impartiality, and I will stand by their journalism.

“There is no institutional bias. Mistakes are made, but there’s no institutional bias.”

Asked why mistakes were not dealt with, including on Mr Trump, on antisemitism and on women’s rights, Ms Turness replied: “I’m sure that story will emerge.”

BBC chairman Samir Shah is expected to send a letter to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday in which he apologises after the corporation was accused of misleading the public.

u200bOutgoing chief executive of BBC News, Deborah Turness

Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage told the BBC that Mr Davie’s resignation was “sad” but “avoidable.”

She said: “I’m very sad about Tim Davie stepping down. I think he was an effective leader at the BBC.

“I think he was a great champion for public service media, but there is no escaping the fact that he was very slow to act on this particular issue.

“But this isn’t the first time and on this particular issue, Michael Prescott’s report, he just didn’t take it seriously until it was too late.

“He should have reacted with concern and examined the claims, but just ignored it.

“But you know, I do feel it was entirely avoidable and it’s really regretful given the huge commitment to the BBC and public service that Tim Davie demonstrated.”

Tim Davie’s replacement as the BBC’s director-general will be appointed by the corporation’s board.

Leading a global workforce, the director-general is the BBC’s editorial, operational and creative leader and is responsible for its services across television, radio and online.

Mr Davie’s successor will be appointed by the BBC Board which ensures the corporation delivers its mission and public purposes.

The board is led by BBC chairman Samir Shah and consists of 10 non-executive members, including Mr Shah, and four executive members.

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Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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