President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Donald Trump has made good on an earlier threat of a lawsuit against the BBC over an edited speech of his in a Panorama documentary. The 33-page legal action, brought in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, alleges the BBC made "a false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump, which was published in a BBC Panorama documentary, that was fabricated and aired by the defendants one week before the 2024 presidential election in a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence the election's outcome to President Trump's detriment." Related Stories News Trump Rants About Rob Reiner's Death, Says He Died After Causing Anger Over "Obsession" With Trump Movies 'One Battle After Another' Leads London Critics' Circle Film Awards Nominations, Ahead of 'Hamnet' The lawsuit claims the documentary was doctored to make it appear Trump, during his Jan. 6, 2021, speech outside the White House, had urged his followers to attack the U.S. Capitol. The legal action was preceded by the BBC receiving a letter from Trump's legal team that demanded the retraction of defamatory remarks in the Panorama documentary and compensation for "harm caused," or the U.K. broadcaster would face legal action in Florida. A BBC spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday: "As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings." In November, the U.K. broadcaster rejected the call for compensation. The apology to Trump was made after a leaked memo from an independent adviser, a man named Michael Prescott, concluded that the BBC's documentary Trump: A Second Chance? "seemed to be taking a distinctly anti-Trump stance." In the speech, Trump said: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women." However, in the Panorama edit, he was shown saying: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol ... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell." The two clips stitched together were, in actuality, more than 50 minutes apart. It remains unclear if the edited speech was available to watch in Florida, where the President has filed the suit. BBC chair Samir Shah also admitted in a lengthy letter last month that this edit was "an error of judgment." But because the issue was handled as part of a wider review of the BBC's U.S. election coverage and not as a specific program complaint, "the point wasn't pursued further at the time," added Shah. "The points raised in the review were relayed to the Panorama team, including the decision-making on this edit. With hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action," he concluded. Also in mid-November, BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and the public broadcaster's director-general Tim Davie resigned over the Panorama scandal. The Hollywood Reporter took a look at just how the crisis unfolded after the leaked memo was made public and the political ramifications of Trump's attack here. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up international BBC Charter Review Launches as U.K. Government Focuses on "Bolstering Trust" and "Sustainable Financial Footing" Live Feed Jimmy Kimmel Slams Trump's "Hateful and Vile" Post About Rob Reiner, Calls Him a "Sick and Irresponsible Man" Live Feed 'Pluribus' Writer-Producer Jenn Carroll Breaks Down Rhea Seehorn's Fateful Choice The Fien Print From Meathead to Mentor: A Critic's Reflection on Rob Reiner's TV Career Task The Hollywood Reporter Celebrates TV's Top Creators With Inaugural Directors in Focus Event Rick Springfield Rick Springfield Remembers 'General Hospital' Co-Star Anthony Geary: "When My Star Started to Rise, He Never Gave Me Any Trouble" international BBC Charter Review Launches as U.K. Government Focuses on "Bolstering Trust" and "Sustainable Financial Footing" Live Feed Jimmy Kimmel Slams Trump's "Hateful and Vile" Post About Rob Reiner, Calls Him a "Sick and Irresponsible Man" Live Feed 'Pluribus' Writer-Producer Jenn Carroll Breaks Down Rhea Seehorn's Fateful Choice The Fien Print From Meathead to Mentor: A Critic's Reflection on Rob Reiner's TV Career Task The Hollywood Reporter Celebrates TV's Top Creators With Inaugural Directors in Focus Event Rick Springfield Rick Springfield Remembers 'General Hospital' Co-Star Anthony Geary: "When My Star Started to Rise, He Never Gave Me Any Trouble"