BBC Enters “Search Mode” For Next Director General, But Chair Admits It’s “Not An Easy Job To Fill” Amid Relentless Attacks

EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has already begun the hunt for its next director general after a breathless few days in which Tim Davie shocked colleagues by resigning amid a Donald Trump scandal.

BBC chair Samir Shah told employees on Tuesday that the UK broadcaster had already commenced the hunt for Davie’s replacement, drawing on succession plans already prepared by the board. He admitted, however, that it will not be an easy job to fill because of the constant attacks on the BBC.

During a town hall meeting, he told staff: “My job now, and I’ve cleared the decks to do this, is to go full on into what we call succession search. We’ve already, obviously, been planning it. Any organization always has a succession planning moment … that planning is now going into search mode.”

He continued: “The first thing is to really drive down that search. [We need to establish] who are the candidates, and talk to them, find out who’s a potential. That takes time because, as I said earlier, this is not an easy job to fill.”

Davie resigned over the weekend, but will remain in post to help with the transition. Runners and riders are already emerging for the biggest job in British media, with sources telling Deadline that strong candidates include Jay Hunt, Apple TV’s boss in Europe, and Jane Turton, the All3Media CEO.

Per a recording of the all-staff meeting, obtained by Deadline, Shah bemoaned the relentless criticism of the BBC and of the director general. The BBC’s detractors would argue that it is legitimate to hold the corporation to account over impartiality and misconduct scandals, such as those involving Huw Edwards and MasterChef host Gregg Wallace.

Shah said: “I have to be honest with you, I think the way we as a country attack people really personally is not good. Why would someone do this job if that’s what they face? They do it because they love the BBC, because they think the BBC matters, and that’s why we do it.”

Davie, who was also present on the staff call, said that being BBC DG is one of the greatest jobs in the world. He admitted, however, that the role is “wearing” amid intense scrutiny, not least — he joked — from the BBC’s own journalists. “This is not an easy task, but it’s not an impossible job,” he added. “I wouldn’t change a thing, I have no regrets, I’m so proud of the team.”

Sources close to Davie said doing the job for five years has taken its toll. Recent months have been a particularly bruising period for the BBC amid relentless editorial issues relating to the war in Gaza and the misconduct scandal on MasterChef.

The botched Donald Trump Panorama edit, for which the U.S. president has threatened a $1B lawsuit, was a crisis too far. Davie decided that enough was enough — both on a personal level and for the BBC as an organization, for whom he felt his presence was increasingly becoming a distraction.

“The level of scrutiny involved in this job is like operating with white noise the whole time,” said one ally of Davie. “He has shown judgment, grit, and energy to take that criticism and public pressure, and navigate a way through it.”