BBC names ex-Google executive Matt Brittin new director-general as it faces feud with Trump

Brittin, 57, spent almost two decades at Google, becoming the company’s president in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Last year Tim Davie announced he was resigning as the BBC’s director over criticism of how the broadcaster edited a speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, before some of his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

A documentary aired days before the 2024 presidential election spliced together three quotes from the speech into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.”

Trump is suing the broadcaster for defamation in a Florida court.

Brittin said the 104-year-old BBC is “an extraordinary, uniquely British asset.”

“This is a moment of real risk, yet also real opportunity,” Brittin said. “The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where stories are, and where audiences are. To build on the reach, trust and creative strengths today, confront challenges with courage, and thrive as a public service fit for the future. I can’t wait to start this work.”