Tim Davie has resigned as director-general of the BBC, and Deborah Turness has stepped down as chief executive of BBC News, in the biggest leadership shake-up at the corporation in years.

The departures were announced on Sunday afternoon after days of mounting pressure over a Panorama programme that edited a speech by US President Donald Trump. The BBC is expected to apologise on Monday for the way the speech was cut.

Mr Davie, who has worked at the BBC for 20 years and served as director-general since September 2020, told staff the decision was his own. In a message to colleagues, he said he was working with the board on the timing of his departure to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.

“This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the chair and board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days,” he said. “I have been reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times, combined with the fact that I want to give a successor time to help shape the Charter plans they will be delivering.”

He added that the debate around BBC News had contributed to his decision. “While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision. Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”

Ms Turness offered her resignation on Saturday night. In an email to news staff, she said the controversy around the Panorama programme had reached a stage where it was causing damage to the BBC. “As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me,” she said.

At the centre of the row is an edition of Panorama broadcast in 2024 that included an edited version of Mr Trump’s speech on 6 January 2021, the day supporters stormed the US Capitol. Critics say the edit spliced together two parts of the speech that were separated by more than 50 minutes, making it appear that Mr Trump directly encouraged supporters to march on the Capitol, while omitting his call for them to protest “peacefully and patriotically”.

The issue came to a head after a leaked internal memo by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC board’s editorial guidelines and standards committee, was published by The Telegraph. The memo also raised wider concerns about the BBC’s coverage of the war in Gaza and of transgender issues, and accused the corporation of failing to uphold impartiality.

BBC chairman Samir Shah said it was a sad day for the corporation. “Tim has been an outstanding director-general for the last five years,” he said. “He has had the full support of me and the board throughout. However, I understand the continued pressure on him, personally and professionally, which has led him to take this decision today.”

Mr Shah also praised Ms Turness, saying she had transformed BBC News with “real commitment and a clear vision” and had “acted with integrity in challenging circumstances”.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who had criticised the BBC’s “entirely inconsistent” editorial standards hours before the resignations, thanked Mr Davie for his service and said the government would support the board as it manages the transition.

Mr Trump welcomed the resignations in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, saying the BBC leaders were leaving because they had been caught doctoring his speech. The White House had accused the BBC of “purposeful dishonesty” on Friday.

The resignations come at a sensitive moment for the BBC. Its Royal Charter, which sets out the corporation’s purpose and funding, is due for renewal in 2027, and the search for a new director-general will now run alongside that process. Philippa Childs, head of the broadcasting union Bectu, said it was a critical moment and that the post must be filled quickly by someone committed to public service broadcasting and the BBC’s political independence.

Mr Davie will stay in post while the board works through the timing of his departure. No successor has been named, and the board said it would set out its plans for appointing the next director-general in due course.