(MENAFN) The resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and Director of News Deborah Turness dominated British headlines Monday, with commentators describing the broadcaster’s turmoil as its “biggest crisis in a decade.”

The departures come amid controversy over a Panorama documentary accused of misleadingly editing a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump to make it appear he was urging supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol.

The Daily Mail ran the headline “BBC bosses quit in disgrace,” quoting Davie as saying, “mistakes have been made, and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”

The Daily Telegraph described the twin resignations as the broadcaster’s “biggest crisis in more than a decade,” noting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was appropriate that the BBC executives had “finally taken responsibility.”

Inside the corporation, staff described an atmosphere of “dismay” following Turness’s announcement. “Feels like a coup,” one source told The Guardian, which also reported that the search now begins to fill “two of the biggest roles in British media.”

The Times characterized Davie’s resignation as “death by a thousand cuts,” highlighting the mounting pressure over the BBC’s coverage of Gaza alongside the Panorama controversy.

The Financial Times led with “Furore over Trump documentary,” reporting that the BBC is set to apologize to lawmakers over the episode. Meanwhile, The Sun highlighted Trump’s reaction on Truth Social: “The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.”

Former BBC One controller Peter Fincham described the resignations as “a sad day for the BBC,” acknowledging Davie’s accomplishments but criticizing what he called the corporation’s “bunker mentality” during crises. “One of the BBC’s worst habits is to think it’ll be all right to play dead,” Fincham said.

Speaking to reporters outside BBC headquarters, Turness defended the corporation’s impartiality: “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. Our journalists are hardworking people who strive for impartiality, and I will stand by their journalism.”

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