Tim Davie’s resignation as the BBC’s top boss brings to an end his 20-year career at the corporation.

He stepped down on Sunday after saying “mistakes were made” following criticism a Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing a speech by US President Donald Trump.

The 58-year-old reached the top of the organisation in June 2020, when he was named the BBC’s 17th director general.

At the time of his appointment, he said: “I have a deep commitment to content of the highest quality and impartiality,” and when he took the helm, said one of his top priorities would include negotiating with the government over the future of the licence fee.

One of the BBC’s longest-serving executives, he first joined the broadcaster from Pepsi to become director of the Marketing, Communications & Audiences division in 2005.

He then took over responsibility for radio stations including Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 as director of the Audio & Music division in 2008.

A month after being named chief executive of the corporation’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide in 2012, he stepped in to become acting director general after the resignation of George Entwistle.

Davie returned to BBC Worldwide after Tony Hall was appointed as George Entwistle’s permanent successor, with Davie overseeng the merger of BBC Worldwide with the BBC’s production arm to form BBC Studios in 2018.

After landing one of the most high-profile jobs in Britain – and globally – his tenure as director general saw huge challenges.

Former BBC media editor Amol Rajan described the job as “hellish” when Davie first took over.

And while Davie has won praise for successfully overseeing the BBC’s move towards digital, putting measures in place to change its workplace culture and focusing on boosting the BBC’s commercial success, overall, it’s not been an easy ride.

In 2024, the disgraced BBC News presenter Huw Edwards was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he admitted charges of making indecent images of children.

Davie told the press in September last year that there was “shock” and “a lot of upset” within the BBC over Edwards, who had been the BBC’s highest-paid journalist.

There was also controversy over comments made online by former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker.

Lineker left the BBC sooner than planned in May 2025 after sharing a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic insult.

Davie said at the time of Lineker’s exit that the former footballer had “acknowledged the mistake made” but thanked the presenter and former footballer for “his passion and knowledge” in sports journalism.

Further scrutiny over his leadership came over the summer, as more unwelcome headlines dogged the corporation.

There was a crisis at BBC flagship series MasterChef, after both of its presenters – Gregg Wallace and John Torode – were sacked following a report which upheld allegations against them..

Asked about poor workplace culture as he faced questions from the the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Davie said he thought “we’re at a moment in society where we’re calling it out”.

Davie added he was “not letting anything lie” when it came to rooting out abuses of power within the corporation

The spotlight also fell on Saturday night stalwart Strictly Come Dancing, with Davie apologising to contestants after complaints of abusive behaviour on the show.

The BBC has also faced strong criticism for a live broadcast of Bob Vylan’s performance at the Glastonbury festival, during which the band’s singer led crowds in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]” and made other derogatory comments.

Davie said that what had happened was “deeply disturbing”, adding: “The BBC made a very significant mistake broadcasting that.”

He said that he had done the “right thing” at the time, by pulling it off the iPlayer and that the measures which have since been put in place would “categorically prevent what happened”.

Davie also said he thought the corporation made the “right decision” to not air Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, a controversial documentary which was later picked up by Channel 4.

The BBC shelved the programme due to impartiality concerns it had surrounding the production.

Earlier in the year, a separate documentary, Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, was pulled from iPlayer after it was found that the narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

The film, made by independent production company HOYO Films, was later found by a review to have breached editorial guidelines on accuracy.

The BBC board also had to apologise over “missed opportunities” to tackle “bullying and misogynistic behaviour” by former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood.

An independent report into what the BBC knew about Mr Westwood’s conduct was published in February, highlighting a series of incidents and allegations it said amount to a “considerable body of evidence” which it failed to investigate properly.

Westwood, who has always denied claims of misconduct, has since been charged with four counts of rape.

Davie’s tenure also included overseeing cuts to BBC local services which he defended as being “the right thing”, but admitted were “very difficult and unpopular”.

He’s also had to deal with issues surrounding equal pay at the BBC.

It was only six months ago, in a speech to civic and community leaders in Salford, that Davie insisted the BBC could help tackle a “crisis of trust” in British society.

He set out measures he said would allow the broadcaster to play a leading role in reversing a breakdown in trust in information and institutions, as well as tackling division and disconnection between people.

But in his resignation letter on Sunday, Davie said “the BBC is delivering well but there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility”.

BBC chairman Samir Shah described Davie as “a devoted and inspirational leader and an absolute believer in the BBC and public service broadcasting”.

“He has achieved a great deal,” Shah added. “Foremost, under his tenure, the transformation of the BBC to meet the challenges in a world of unprecedented change and competition is well under way.”