According to Deadline, after Panorama’s botched edit of Donald Trump’s January 6th speech, the director general acknowledged the challenges and changes that followed his departure. This was discovered in an email to staff seen by Deadline.

“I am sorry that it has been such an unsettling time. There will be a lot of speculation about the future but, at its heart, the BBC is thousands of caring people who are utterly committed to serving the public,” Davie said via Deadline.

Trump claims that the BBC is on the hook for $1-5B in damages and has alluded to the fact that he will file a lawsuit this week, while disregarding the apology from the BBC. In response, Deadline reported the statement made by Davie. “In terms of our focus over the coming weeks, the priority, as ever, remains delivering our programming flawlessly. Our news services across the UK and internationally are invaluable in reporting without fear or favour, and we should confidently deliver impartial coverage across all fronts,” he said.

Via Deadline, Davie added, “I wanted to confirm that we will continue to deliver our current plans during this period. We need to keep the BBC relevant in this new age, delivering value to everyone.”

Deadline said that the general is facing considerable pressure, grappling with both internal staff frustration over his response to the situation and external scrutiny regarding the influence of board member Robbie Gibb. The financial stakes are massive: Trump is suing for $1 billion, an amount that is roughly twice the BBC’s entire annual news and current affairs budget. Given that the majority of this revenue comes from an annual UK license fee of £174.50 ($230 USD), the potential cost could be politically sensitive for the British public.

mxdwn reported on their chair, Samir Shah’s mediating responses to Trump taking legal action explaining, “there is a lot being written, said and speculated upon about the possibility of legal action, including potential costs or settlements,” said Shah via Deadline. “In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of funding and the need to protect our licence fee payers, the British public.”