BBC
UK public service broadcaster and maker of the Panorama program
- Entries
- 14
- On the record
- 6
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Aug 2026
The record
The British Broadcasting Corporation has operated under Royal Charter since King George V granted the first one on 20 December 1926. Its current Charter took effect on 3 April 2017, runs to the end of 2027 and gives Ofcom the function of regulating the BBC, while the BBC Board sets strategy, budgets and editorial standards. A December 2025 update to the Framework Agreement extended Ofcom's remit to parts of the BBC's online output.
Outside the Bashir inquiry covered by the story on this file, its court record in Britain includes two cases over disclosure and privacy. In 2012 the UK Supreme Court held that the BBC did not have to release the Balen Report, an internal review of its Middle East coverage, under freedom of information law. In 2018 the High Court found the BBC liable for infringing Sir Cliff Richard's privacy by broadcasting a 2014 police search of his home, and awarded £210,000. The investigation into him had ended in 2016 with no charges.
In November 2025 Director-General Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, chief executive of BBC News, resigned over a Panorama edit of Donald Trump's January 6, 2021 speech. The BBC apologised for the edit while disputing any basis for a defamation claim. Trump sued in federal court in Florida in December 2025, seeking $10 billion. The BBC has moved to dismiss, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction, and in August 2026 asked to subpoena three Trump family members.
Roles and honours on the record
- 1926 Incorporated by Royal Charter granted by King George V on 20 December 1926 source
- 2017-2027 Public broadcaster under the Royal Charter effective 3 April 2017 and running to 31 December 2027, regulated by Ofcom source
- 2025- Defendant in Donald Trump's defamation suit, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida source
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Ex-BBC director general Tony Hall told MPs it was the wrong judgement not to sack Bashir in 1996, BBC News reported. Martin Bashir used fake bank statements, Dyson report finds
- Admitted
BBC chairman Richard Sharp said the BBC 'unreservedly accepted' the Dyson findings, The Washington Post reported. Martin Bashir used fake bank statements, Dyson report finds
- Reported
BBC appointed ex-Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson to investigate the Bashir interview, The Guardian reported. Martin Bashir used fake bank statements, Dyson report finds
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 1926-12-20 Official King George V granted the British Broadcasting Corporation its first Royal Charter by Letters Patent under the Great Seal, as the preamble to the current Charter records. GOV.UK, BBC Royal Charter (Cm 9365)
- 2007-01-01 Official A Royal Charter renewed in July 2006 came into force, setting out the BBC's objectives and purposes alongside a Framework Agreement, the Leveson report records. Leveson Inquiry report, Volume I (HC 780-i)
- 2012-02-15 Ruled The UK Supreme Court dismissed an appeal seeking disclosure of the Balen Report, a 2004 internal review of the BBC's Middle East coverage, holding that the BBC held it for the purposes of journalism and so was not required to release it under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. UK Supreme Court judgment, [2012] UKSC 4
- 2017-04-03 Official The current Royal Charter took effect. It makes it a function of Ofcom to regulate the BBC, makes the BBC Board responsible for the proper and independent exercise of the BBC's functions, and runs until the end of 31 December 2027. GOV.UK, BBC Royal Charter (Cm 9365)
- 2018-07-18 Ruled Mr Justice Mann held the BBC liable for infringing Sir Cliff Richard's privacy by broadcasting on 14 August 2014 that he was under investigation and that his home was being searched, and awarded £210,000, including £20,000 aggravated damages over the BBC's entry of the coverage for an award. The investigation had ended in June 2016 with no charges. High Court judgment, [2018] EWHC 1837 (Ch)
- 2025-11-09 Reported Director-General Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, chief executive of BBC News and Current Affairs, resigned over a Panorama edit of Donald Trump's January 6, 2021 speech. Davie said the decision was entirely his and that he accepted ultimate responsibility for mistakes, CBS News reported. CBS News report
- 2025-11-13 Reported The BBC said it sincerely regretted the way the clip was edited and had no plans to rebroadcast the documentary, and chair Samir Shah apologised in a letter to the White House. The BBC said it strongly disagreed that there was a basis for a defamation claim. CBS News report
- 2025-12 Filed Trump sued the BBC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for defamation and under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, seeking $10 billion. The BBC said it would be defending the case. CBS News report
- 2025-12 Official The government published updates to the BBC Framework Agreement following the Charter mid-term review, extending Ofcom's remit to some BBC online material and requiring the BBC Board to oversee the complaints framework for editorial standards. GOV.UK, Updates to BBC Framework Agreement, December 2025
- 2026-01 Filed The BBC moved to dismiss the suit, arguing the Florida court lacks jurisdiction because the documentary was not made or aired there, that Trump suffered no damage and that actual malice was not shown, CBS News reported. CBS News report
- 2026-08 Filed The BBC asked the Florida federal court for authorisation to serve subpoenas on Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner seeking testimony and documents about January 6, 2021, CBS News reported. CBS News report
Documents
- BBC Royal Charter, Cm 9365 (GOV.UK)
- Updates to the BBC Framework Agreement, December 2025 (GOV.UK)
- UK Supreme Court judgment on the Balen Report, [2012] UKSC 4 (Feb. 15, 2012)
- Richard v BBC, High Court judgment, [2018] EWHC 1837 (Ch) (July 18, 2018)
- CBS News report on Trump's $10 billion suit against the BBC (Dec. 16, 2025)