BBC appoints former Panorama editor Rachel Jupp as news chief after Trump speech scandal cost her predecessor the job

From the Newshound archive · first published 5 October 2026 · last updated 6 October 2026.

Rachel Jupp, who had been serving as director of BBC News documentaries, has been appointed to the £400,000-a-year post overseeing BBC news and current affairs, almost a year after Deborah Turness stepped down in the wake of the Panorama Trump speech controversy. Turness departed in November 2025 alongside director-general Tim Davie after a documentary cut together sections of Trump's January 6 speech, triggering a £7 billion lawsuit against the corporation. Jupp, herself a former Panorama editor, takes charge of a 4,500-strong team and starts the role this month.

Jupp had edited Panorama before the contentious documentary was broadcast, though she had left the programme some years before it aired.

Director-general Matt Brittin described her as 'an outstanding editorial leader' with a 'fresh perspective to lead BBC News into a new era.'

She takes over at a corporation already absorbing 550 job cuts this year, with as many as 2,000 further posts expected to go by 2028-29 as part of a drive to save £500m.