The BBC has been plunged into an impartiality crisis as US President Donald Trump threatens to sue the corporation for $1billion.
Outgoing director-general Tim Davie will address BBC staff on Tuesday morning after Trump’s legal team gave the broadcaster until Friday to apologise after it emerged that a speech by the president had been “doctored” in a Panorama special.
Question marks remain over who will replace Mr Davie at the top of the corporation, who will leave the BBC after 20 years “over the coming months”.
Mr Davie’s resignation could lead to the BBC having a woman at the helm for the first time in its history.
The BBC’s chairman, Samir Shah, had said he “did not want to lose” Mr Davie after he resigned on Sunday.
Mr Davie’s departure came after a report by Michael Prescott found that two quotes from Trump had been spliced together despite being said nearly an hour apart, giving the impression he had made a “direct call for violent action” before the Capitol riots on January 6 2021.
Here are some of the candidates who could replace Mr Davie:
Charlotte Moore
Once the BBC’s chief content officer, Charlotte Moore delivered hit shows such as The Great British Bake Off, Bodyguard and Luther before leaving the broadcaster in the summer.
The 57-year-old was on the shortlist for the director-general role when Tim Davie was selected in 2020.
In March 2023, she was awarded the Royal Television Society Judges Award in recognition of her leadership "through one of the most momentous years in [the BBC's] history and having done so with an exceptional combination of steadfast level-headedness, confidence and creative flair".
She recently became the CEO of TV production company Left Bank Pictures, which is owned by Sony.
Jay Hunt
Since joining the BBC as a researcher in 1989, Jay Hunt has an extensive news background, working on Newsnight and Panorama before becoming editor of both the One O’Clock and Six O’Clock News.
Mrs Hunt then went on to become the Controllor of BBC One for two and a half years.
She later worked as the Chief Creative Officer of Channel 4 and the channel won five BAFTA television awards under her leadership and won praise for Channel 4’s hugely successful coverage of the 2012 Olympics.
More recently, Mrs Hunt became Apple TV+’s creative director for Europe and was appointed chair of the British Film Institute in 2024.
Alex Mahon
Alex Mahon was the chief executive of Channel 4 for almost four years and was the first woman in the broadcaster’s history to take the helm.
She left the role earlier this year to become the boss of Superstruct Entertainment, the group behind Cornwall’s Boardmasters festival. The group owns and operates more than 80 music festivals across 10 countries in Europe and Australia.
The Guardian reports that Ms Mahon had been approached by the BBC about the director-general role before but declined to be shortlisted.
Dame Carolyn McCall
Dame Carolyn McCall became the first female Chief Executive of ITV in early 2018, having previously been the CEO of easyJet for seven years.
Under her leadership easyJet achieved record passenger numbers and record profits. Mrs McCall previously served as the CEO of the Guardian Media Group.
Mrs McCall is understood to be involved in early-stage talks over a possible £1.6 billion deal to sell ITV’s broadcasting arm to Sky in a move that would see a major shake-up of Britain’s television sector.
