Inside the BBC Meltdown: How a Trump Lawsuit and a Leaked Memo Brought Down Its Top Brass

Donald Trump is waving a $1 billion lawsuit at the BBC after a leaked memo found that a speech of his was doctored to make it appear as though he encouraged the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

The controversy has led to an implosion at the BBC: two of its senior executives have resigned, including top boss Tim Davie, with the fallout threatening to linger for weeks, if not months.

The British broadcaster has been plagued by scandal for some years, with the Israel-Gaza war and rise of the far-right making an already difficult job much, much harder.

Below, The Hollywood Reporter takes a deep-dive into all the facts of this fast-developing story, and why it’s brought the BBC to an inflection point.

What is the BBC, and why is it so fundamental in the U.K.?

It’s important to note just how central the BBC is to U.K.