The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump for editing a speech to make it look like he had advocated violence, but rejected the president's demand for compensation.
The Panorama episode, Trump: A Second Chance? has been taken down from the BBC website and a retraction was published on the webpage this evening.
It said: "This programme was reviewed after criticism of how President Donald Trump's 6th January 2021 speech was edited.
"During that sequence, we showed excerpts taken from different parts of the speech.
"However, we accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.
"The BBC would like to apologise to President Trump for that error of judgement.
"This programme was not scheduled to be re-broadcast and will not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms."
A BBC spokesperson said: "Lawyers for the BBC have written to President Trump's legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday.
"BBC chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president's speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.
"The BBC has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary Trump: A Second Chance? on any BBC platforms.
"While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim."
Speaking earlier this week, Mr Trump said the BBC "defrauded the public" and that he had an "obligation" to take legal action.
BBC Director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday amid a scandal over the editing of a speech by Mr Trump before the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Mr Trump reiterated his threat of launching a billion-dollar legal action during an interview on Fox News.
BBC probes second possible case of misleading Trump edit
The BBC also said it was investigating a possible second instance in which a speech by President Trump was edited in a misleading way.
The Telegraph has said the broadcaster also aired another report, in June, 2022 on its 'Newsnight' programme, in which phrases spoken at different points in a speech by Mr Trump from 6 January 2021 - the day of the riots - were edited together to make it appear as if the outgoing president was urging his supporters to go to the Capitol and "fight like hell".
A BBC spokesperson said: "This matter has been brought to our attention and we are now looking into it."
The editing row comes at a politically sensitive time for the BBC, which is due to renegotiate the royal charter that outlines the corporation's governance. Its current charter will end in 2027.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government have been performing a tightrope act, backing the broadcaster's independence while avoiding taking sides against Mr Trump.
