Their resignations came on Sunday after mounting pressure following the publication last week by the Telegraph of a memo written by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the broadcaster’s editorial standards committee.

The memo accuses the BBC of issues within its Gaza coverage, anti-Trump and anti-Israel bias and one-sided transgender reporting – among other “troubling matters”. It also highlights the Panorama edit.

On Monday, BBC chair Samir Shah accepted an “error of judgement” had been made on the documentary and that the edited speech gave the impression of a “direct call for action” – and said the BBC would like to apologise for it.

But responding to a letter from the Culture Media and Sport Committee, he said it was “simply not true” the memo had uncovered issues the BBC had “sought to bury” – nor was it correct to suggest the BBC had done nothing to tackle concerns raised in the memo.

Trump’s letter, which the BBC received on Sunday, calls for an apology and for the corporation to “appropriately compensate” the president.

It accuses the BBC of making “false, defamatory, disparaging, misleading, and inflammatory statements” about him.

Trump’s attorney Alejandro Brito also accused the BBC of defamation under Florida law.

In his letter to the committee, Shah said

The Panorama edit had been discussed by the committee in January and May this year as part of a wider review of the BBC’s US election coverage, he said.

Prescott and some committee members voiced concern about it then, he added.

Shah added he “also heard from BBC News that the purpose of editing the clip was to convey the message of the speech”.

This was so Panorama’s audience “could better understand how it had been received by President Trump’s supporters and what was happening on the ground at that time”.

The point was not pursued further “given it had not attracted significant audience feedback and had been transmitted before the US election,” he explained.

He added: “With hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action.”

Davie said on Sunday that the “current debate” around the corporation was not the only reason for his decision to step down, but “understandably contributed” to it.

“Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”

Turness, who has overseen news and current affairs programming since 2022, said on Monday in her first public remarks since announcing she was stepping down that the corporation was “not institutionally biased” .

“Mistakes are made” but the BBC’s journalists are “hardworking people who strive for impartiality,” she told reporters outside the broadcaster’s London headquarters.

A spokesman for Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister did not believe the BBC was “institutionally biased”.

No 10 also denied the BBC was “corrupt” – a word Trump used to describe some of its journalists.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said there had been “serious questions to answer for a long time” within the BBC and said the documentary incident was a “real problem”.

Prescott had also expressed concerns about a lack of action to address what he described as “systemic problems” of bias in BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.

And he raised concerns about the broadcaster’s coverage of trans issues, suggesting it was effectively “censored” by specialist LGBT reporters who promoted a pro-trans agenda.

Shah’s letter noted these issues had been discussed by the editorial standards committee, including concerns regarding BBC Arabic.

He said that a review of sex and gender identity coverage noted “much of the coverage met the BBC’s standards of impartiality and accuracy”.

He said the committee “accepts that there are occasions when the BBC gets things wrong” and takes action when necessary, including disciplinary measures, updating guidelines and issuing corrections.

“Mr Prescott may have judged that these individual actions were not sufficient.

“That is his opinion – and it is of course for him to form that judgement. However, it is not true to say that concerns have been ignored or action not taken.”

In an interview with the BBC’s culture editor Katie Razzall, Shah insisted it was “simply not true” the organisation has done nothing to tackle problems, citing action taken at the BBC Arabic service and long form journalism unit.

He also defended the BBC against allegations of having “anti-Israel” bias in its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.

He said various issues raised by Prescott were being taken seriously and that included “individual mistakes and underlying problems”, adding that action is and had been taken on both – but rejected claims of systemic bias.