The BBC scandals
Some major controversies and scandals have involved the BBC over recent years. This is not an exhaustive list of them, but does cover the high-profile ones.
The Huw Edwards affair (2023–24)
In July 2023, the BBC suspended veteran news anchor Huw Edwards after allegations that he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. Later he pleaded guilty to having unrelated images of child sexual abuse on his phone.
This scandal damaged BBC’s reputation for trust and safety, raised questions about oversight of high-profile staff, and cost the organization financially.
The Martin Bashir/Princess Diana interview investigation (2021)
Although the interview with Princess Diana took place in 1995, a formal BBC inquiry in 2021 found Bashir had used falsified bank statements to secure access. The then-Director-General Tim Davie publicly apologized on behalf of the BBC.
This was significant because it raised questions about editorial standards, ethics, and management oversight at the BBC.
The Chairman Richard Sharp conflict of interest / resignation (2023)
In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as BBC Chairman after it emerged he failed to disclose a material potential conflict of interest, namely his role in arranging a loan for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson before being appointed Chairman.
This episode highlighted governance and transparency issues at the senior levels of the BBC.
Panorama & the Donald Trump speech editing (2025)
In late 2024 / 2025 the BBC aired a Panorama documentary which included edited portions of Trump’s Jan 6 2021 speech. Critics say the edits misrepresented his remarks and implied he encouraged the Capitol riot. This led to the resignation of Director-General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness in November 2025.
This touches on the BBC’s impartiality and editorial integrity, issues central to its public service mandate.
The Gaza children documentary / Ofcom sanction (2025)
The UK media regulator, Ofcom, found that a BBC documentary about children in Gaza broke rules on impartiality because it did not disclose that the narrator’s father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas administration. The BBC removed the documentary and faced regulatory sanction.
A leaked memo alleged that BBC Arabic had “pushed Hamas lies around the world” by rapidly broadcasting allegations against Israel without adequate checks.
The so-called “Asserson Report” claimed the BBC breached its impartiality rules more than 1,500 times in its coverage of the Gaza war and that Israel was consistently portrayed as the aggressor while Hamas was not described as a “terrorist” organization for long.
This illustrates problems in the BBC’s editorial processes around sensitive international reporting.
Sexual misconduct / abuse cases involving BBC-affiliated individuals
Beyond Huw Edwards, the BBC has faced other cases of sexual misconduct by people linked with it. Eg: the legacy scandal of Jimmy Savile impacted the BBC’s culture and trust, and allegations have centred around shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, with allegations of abuse, bullying and sexual misconduct.
Trans/gender issues coverage criticism
An internal memo reported by The Guardian in 2025 indicated that some BBC staff believed the corporation showed ‘systemic bias on trans issues, claiming that reports had been avoided or spun.
A leak from 2025 alleged that BBC’s LGBTQ desk acted as a ‘graveyard for gender-critical stories and that internal censorship of trans-critical content was occurring.
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This builds up a picture of systematic bias, lack of oversight of unacceptable and illegal behaviour, and points to a mindset at odds with that of most of their audience. The BBC, once lauded for impartiality, has become a propaganda instrument of a clique of woke believers. And it does this on public money. Change is needed.
Madsen Pirie