BBC Director General Tim Davie Apologizes Over Gary Lineker Row But Says He Won’t Resign

deadline.com:

BBC Director General Tim Davie has apologized to audiences for the disruption caused to the organization’s sports programming but said he won’t resign following the unprecedented talent walkout over the Gary Lineker row. “I’m sorry audiences have been affected, and they haven’t got the programming,” Davie said in an interview with BBC News in Washington DC, where he is, somewhat ironically, speaking to journalists about impartial news. “As a keen sports fan, I know to miss programming is a real blow, and I’m sorry about that.

We are working very hard to resolve this situation and make sure we get output on air.” When quizzed if he had considered resigning following the dispute, Davie confirmed that he would not be leaving the organization but said he is currently in “listening mode” with the aim of resolving issues on all sides. “I want to make sure that going forward, we have a workable solution,” he said.

He added: “Everyone wants to calmly resolve the situation. Gary Lineker’s the best in the business – that’s not for debate.” On Saturday evening, the BBC’s popular Premier League highlights show Match of the Day will air without a studio presenter or its regular roster of pundits after Lineker, who has presented the show for nearly 25 years, was asked to step back from coverage following a breach of the broadcaster’s impartiality rules on Twitter.

Following a day of hugely disrupted sports programing as hosts stood down en masse, tonight’s Match of the Day will be just 20 minutes long, airing without presenters, pundits or commentators.