The BBC has issued an apology to former President Donald Trump following the broadcast of an edited version of his speech from January 6, 2021. The network had combined two segments of his address, which originally took place nearly an hour apart.

In a formal letter to Trump, Samir Shah, the chair of the British broadcaster, expressed regret over the editing decision. Shah acknowledged that the alteration inadvertently suggested the speech was a continuous sequence, which was not the case.

Prior to receiving the apology, Trump’s legal team had sent a letter to the BBC, demanding a formal apology and threatening a lawsuit of US$1 billion (approximately $1.5 billion).

Despite the apology, Trump stated he still intends to pursue legal action against the BBC, hinting at a potentially larger claim.

“We’re considering a lawsuit ranging from one billion to five billion dollars, probably sometime next week. I feel it’s necessary to proceed,” Trump shared with reporters aboard Air Force One.

“They’ve even admitted that they cheated.”

The legal dispute was sparked by an edition of the BBC’s flagship current affairs series Panorama, titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” broadcast days before the 2024 US presidential election.

A third-party production company spliced together three quotes from two sections of the 2021 speech, into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.”

Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

Trump earlier declared the BBC was “fake news”, adding that the people of the UK are “very angry” about the edit.

He said he would raise the issue with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“I’m going to call him over the weekend. He actually put a call in to me. He’s very embarrassed,” Trump said.

Director-general Tim Davie, along with news chief Deborah Turness, quit on Sunday, saying the scandal was damaging the BBC and “as the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me.”