Donald Trump has said he has an “obligation” to sue the BBC over an edit of a speech he gave before the US Capitol riot in 2021.

The president doubled down on his legal threat to the corporation in a Fox News interview on Tuesday night, as the corporation remains in crisis after the resignation of two of its top figures – including director-general Tim Davie.

“They defrauded the public, and they’ve admitted it,” Mr Trump said.

“And this is within one of our great allies, you know?”

It came after concerns emerged about a Panorama documentary from last year which showed Mr Trump appearing to tell supporters he was going to walk to the Capitol with them to “fight like hell”. There was in fact around an hour in between the two parts of the speech that were spliced together.

He told Fox News the Panorama edit had made a “beautiful” and “very calming speech” sound “radical”, which was “incredible” and “very dishonest”.

Mr Trump had faced charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election in light of the violence that befell the Capitol in January 2021, but those efforts were dropped when he beat Kamala Harris in 2024.

Trump’s three demands

Mr Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for $1bn unless it issues a “full and fair retraction” of the documentary, apologises immediately, and “appropriately” compensates him. It’s been given a deadline of 10pm UK time on Friday.

Read Trump’s legal letter in full

The BBC has come under increasingly heavy fire from its critics in the UK over the Panorama programme. The Conservatives have demanded it apologise to Mr Trump and the public, while Reform has reportedly pulled out of a documentary the corporation was planning about the party.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the BBC in the Commons on Tuesday, denying accusations it’s institutionally biased and calling on MPs to “value it, uphold it, and fiercely defend it”.

She said she has been in “regular contact” with BBC chair Samir Shah, ensuring that where standards were not met, “firm, swift and transparent action follows”.

Ms Nandy said a review of the BBC’s Royal Charter will begin “imminently” and a public consultation will be launched, with more details in the “coming weeks”.

‘We made a mistake – but need to fight,’ says outgoing BBC boss

Her Commons statement came after outgoing director-general Mr Davie said the corporation “made some mistakes that have cost us”, but added he was “proud” and that the organisation needed to “fight” for its journalism.

Mr Davie told staff on a call: “I think we did make a mistake, and there was an editorial breach, and I think some responsibility had to be taken.”

Mr Davie, who has worked for the BBC for 20 years and been in charge for the past five, is not stepping down immediately but hopes a successor will be put in place “over the coming months”.

There are several potential candidates who could replace him. The job effectively serves as both the corporation’s chief executive and its editor-in-chief across television, radio and online.

Leak reveals staff anger at Tory-linked board member

In a Q&A with Mr Davie after the all-staff call, staff were frustrated by having their questions vetted, Sky News arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer reported.

Some questions were about the controversial appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb, the former Tory director of communications for prime minister Theresa May, to the BBC board. But when these questions were getting through the vetting process, staff tried to ask questions in the reply boxes, which were public.

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The anonymous comments included questions like “How can we claim to be unbiased if Gibb is on the board?” and “Why is Robbie Gibb still on the board?”.

“I find Robbie Gibb’s continued presence at the BBC to be incredibly demoralising. It feels as if he is fighting against and undermining the work we’re trying to do,” another comment read.

The leaders of the Lib Dems and SNP have both called for Sir Robbie’s removal.

But Ms Nandy told the Commons the government is “unable” to remove Sir Robbie, as “the charter sets a strict legal threshold that must be met before dismissal of a board member”.

Dame Jilly Cooper died from a head injury after falling at her home in Gloucestershire, an inquest has found.

Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said the 88-year-old author “fell, perhaps down some stairs, sustaining a significant head injury”.

Though the fall was unwitnessed, forensic evidence in the area surrounding the stairs suggested that it was where the fall occurred.

South Western Ambulance Service were called at 5.35pm on 4 October and arrived at Dame Jilly’s home at 5.56pm, they told the inquiry in a statement.

Dame Jilly was initially alert and speaking with the crew on arrival. She did not recall the exact details of the fall, with only a “vague recollection of falling down”, but she spoke of having a severe headache.

She was transferred to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where an urgent CT scan found she had sustained a skull fracture, determined likely to be a terminal event.

“The medical opinion was that this head injury was unfortunately catastrophic,” said Ms Skerrett. “She was made comfortable, her condition sadly thereafter deteriorated, and she passed away in the emergency department with family”.

Dame Jilly’s long-standing GP told the inquest that she had fallen twice previously, in 2018 and in September 2024.

She died in hospital at 8.30am on 5 October. Her death was found to be accidental, with Ms Skerrett saying “there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her fall”.

Ms Skerrett extended the “sincere condolences” of the coroner’s office to Dame Jilly’s family.

In a statement after her death, her children Emily Tarrant and Felix Cooper paid tribute to their mum, saying that “her unexpected death has come as a complete shock”.

“We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us,” they added.

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The author’s many fans included former prime minister Rishi Sunak, who said her books offered “escapism”. She was a long-standing friend of Queen Camilla.

One of Dame Jilly’s most-loved characters – the showjumping womaniser Rupert Campbell-Black – was partly based on the Queen’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.

He was recently portrayed by actor Alex Hassell in the 2024 Disney+ adaptation of her novel Rivals.

In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace after Dame Jilly’s death, Camilla said: “I join my husband, the King, in sending our thoughts and sympathies to all her family. And may her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs.”

A new edition of Dame Jilly’s book, How To Survive Christmas, which was first published in 1986, will be released on 13 November.

Her funeral will be held in private, in line with her wishes, but a public service of thanksgiving will be held at Southwark Cathedral at a later date, her agent has said.

Sally Kirkland, a former model and Oscar nominated actress known for her roles in films such as Anna, The Sting and JFK has died aged 84.

Her representative, Michael Greene, said Kirkland died on Tuesday morning at a Palm Springs hospice.

Kirkland had been unwell and struggling to cover medical bills after she fractured six bones last year and developed two life-threatening infections. She had also been diagnosed with dementia.

A GoFundMePage that was set up by her friends to help pay for her ongoing treatment had raised over £45,000 ($60,000).

Her biggest role was in the 1987 film Anna, as a fading Czech movie star remaking her life in the United States and mentoring a younger actor.

Kirkland won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination alongside Cher in Moonstruck, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, Holly Hunter in Broadcast News and Meryl Streep in Ironweed.

Born in New York City, Kirkland was encouraged to start modelling at age five by her mother, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and Life magazines. Kirkland went on to graduate from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1961.

An early breakout for the star was appearing in Andy Warhol’s 13 Most Beautiful Women in 1964.

Some of her earliest roles were playing Shakespeare parts, including Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Miranda in an off-Broadway production of The Tempest.

She once told the Los Angeles Times: “I don’t think any actor can really call him or herself an actor unless he or she puts in time with Shakespeare.”

Kirkland was also infamous for her nude scenes, often disrobing in films and for social causes. In particular, Kirkland volunteered and advocated for people with AIDS, the homeless and prisoners.