Donald Trump has dropped BBC Studios' commercial arms from his defamation lawsuit over a 2024 Panorama documentary, but is continuing his multi-billion dollar case against the BBC itself. The move follows the BBC's argument that its production and distribution subsidiaries had no role in making or broadcasting the programme in the US, though Trump remains committed to pursuing the corporation directly, keeping the high-profile transatlantic legal battle alive.

Trump is seeking up to $10bn (£7.4bn) over claims that Panorama "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively" edited together sections of a speech he gave before the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot. The BBC has apologised for the editing error but is seeking dismissal, arguing the programme was not defamatory under the law and was not available in the US; Trump's lawyers recently admitted they lacked evidence it was accessible via BritBox or other US platforms, though they insist BBC "geo-blocking" was unreliable and point to promotional posts and staff instructions on how Americans could watch it. A trial has been scheduled for February 2027, and the row previously led to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness after a leaked memo criticised the edit.