The chair of the Commons culture committee has raised serious doubts about the BBC board’s ability to manage the broadcaster’s current crisis after its chair, Samir Shah, gave evidence to MPs.
Dame Caroline Dinenage said Shah’s responses fell short of the clear, decisive plan the committee wanted to hear and warned there appeared to be weak oversight at the top of the organisation.
Shah told MPs he would remain in post and lead efforts to steady the corporation.
He confirmed a search for a new director general has started and proposed creating a deputy role, arguing the job is too large for one person.
The hearing follows the sudden departures of director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness, which came after a leaked memo from a former external adviser sparked questions about impartiality in BBC reporting.
The memo, authored by Michael Prescott, criticised a range of editorial decisions — including the way Panorama edited a 6 January 2021 speech by Donald Trump — and argued there were systemic problems across several areas of coverage.
Prescott told the committee he believed matters were deteriorating and that the board had not treated the concerns with the seriousness he expected, while adding he did not view the BBC as institutionally biased.
MPs also heard differing accounts from other senior figures.
Board member Sir Robbie Gibb denied claims he had engineered a political push to remove senior BBC leaders.
Former advisers said internal debate had been robust but that some choices, including the Panorama edit, lacked sufficient transparency.
Shah acknowledged the corporation was slow to respond over the Trump edit, which combined portions of the speech in a way that gave the impression of a direct call to violence.
The BBC later apologised and rejected legal demands from Mr Trump, saying it would not provide financial compensation.
In a message to staff, Shah said appointing a new director general was his top priority and that the board would review whether the steps already taken in response to the leaked memo were enough.
He also announced a review of the Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee to ensure it has the necessary powers, representation and accountability.
Dinenage made clear the committee expects stronger, more concrete answers as scrutiny continues.
For now, MPs say the corporation still has work to do to rebuild confidence in its governance and editorial processes.
