Former Google Executive Appointed BBC's New Chief Amid Succession Following Tim Davie's Resignation

BBC Board Appoints Matt Brittin as New Director-General

Matt Brittin, a former Google executive, has been confirmed as the new Director-General of the BBC, according to a report by The Times. The BBC board approved Brittin's appointment at a meeting on Thursday, with an official announcement expected this week.

The appointment comes after Director-General Tim Davie announced his resignation in November following widespread criticism of the BBC over the misleading editing of a video clip of US President Donald Trump. The controversy surrounded a clip in the BBC Panorama programme, which was aired before the 2024 US Presidential election. The edited clip made it appear that Trump had told his supporters to "walk down to the Capitol" and "fight like hell" before the riots of 6 January.

However, it turned out that Trump's "fight like hell" remark was from a different part of his speech, and that he had actually called on Americans to “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” BBC Chair Samir Shah acknowledged that the footage wrongly gave "the impression of a direct call for violent action" by Trump. The controversy led to Trump suing the BBC.

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Key Dates

• 2 April: Tim Davie's resignation date
• January: BBC said Davie would step down
• November: Tim Davie announced his resignation
• 2024: US Presidential election

Key Figures

• Matt Brittin: new Director-General of the BBC
• Tim Davie: former Director-General of the BBC
• Samir Shah: BBC Chair
• Donald Trump: US President

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