# BBC sued for "Fight like hell" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** documentary-bio, trump\ **Created:** [November 10, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743 "2025-11-10T19:59:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/1 "2025-11-10T19:59:49Z")
The BBC ran a documentary entitled “[Trump: Second Chance?”](https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/10/media/bbc-trump-edit-lawsuit-turness-davie-media) Trump is suing them because they edited fifty minutes out of his Capitol invasion speech; the time between “We are going down to the Capitol…and fight like hell!” I recall seeing it that way on US news. Trump sues for someone coming between him and the television set, but the furor in Britain over the suit seems a bit much for me. BBC staffers have resigned. Are Trump and conservatism popular in Britain? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/2 "2025-11-10T20:18:15Z")
My perception is that the BBC has been bending over backward to be perceived as not being hostile to anything right wing. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/3 "2025-11-10T20:34:00Z")
I thought everyone outside the United States realized Trump as a certifiable whacko. We rodents must stick together. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/4 "2025-11-10T20:53:04Z")
Trump is really not generally popular in the UK. As best I can tell, that specific issue is just a minor part of a whole mess that’s basically internal politics within the BBC; it’s just the bit that’s getting attention because of the paper-thin skin of the ‘victim’ and his ability to reach a global audience. The UK does have our own right-wing extreme groups, but while their leaders are happy to associate with Trump, and that’s not a secret, it doesn’t seem to be much of a selling point even for their supporters. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/5 "2025-11-10T21:13:41Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Are Trump and conservatism popular in Britain? More popular than they ought to be, which is to say more than zero. Fascism is getting louder here. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/6 "2025-11-10T21:21:31Z")
Trump is perceived as being something of an idiot, with the attention span of a gnat, and the American people as idiots for electing him. A number of politicians who were very rude about Trump, thinking he would never be elected anyway, have had to walk back their words in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/7 "2025-11-10T21:22:08Z")
His MAGAT’s and the rest of us new exactly what he meant. And they followed through on it in spades. ---
**Author:** ![FurloeRoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@FurloeRoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FurloeRoth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/8 "2025-11-11T00:57:51Z")
The BBC is funded by a more-or-less compulsory fee (you have to pay the licence fee if you watch any live TV, even if you never watch BBC channels), the justification for this being that it is uniquely impartial and trustworthy. The clear consensus, even among ardent BBC supporters, is that, regardless of what you think of Trump, the programme in question did not meet that standard, due to the way it manipulated the video of Trump’s speech. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/9 "2025-11-11T08:19:00Z")
The justification for it is, like so many British things, “We’ve always done it like this “. And it’s going to be harder to maintain in an age where there are hundreds of channels and increasing numbers of people don’t consume any of the BBC’s output. ---
**Author:** ![FurloeRoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@FurloeRoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FurloeRoth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/10 "2025-11-11T10:04:30Z")
As for why this is happening, it is not because Trump is popular in the UK (anything but.) It is more that the BBC is unpopular in some quarters (generally the right wing, although some on the left consider the Beeb to be too right-wing, naturally), and any mis-steps like this are pounced upon as evidence that it is not as trustworthy as it claims (and to be fair it does go on a bit about how virtuous it is.) The Trump thing is part of a longer charge sheet that the Daily Telegraph has been pushing this last week. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/11 "2025-11-11T12:15:59Z")
> [@FurloeRoth](#): > > the Daily Telegraph has been pushing this last week That well-known paragon of impartiality, in-depth analysis and measured judgement …… ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/12 "2025-11-11T12:28:30Z")
> [@FurloeRoth](#): > > The clear consensus, even among ardent BBC supporters, is that, regardless of what you think of Trump, the programme in question did not meet that standard, due to the way it manipulated the video of Trump’s speech. The annoying thing is that _it didn’t need to be manipulated to convey its obvious intent._ They could’ve done what is insisted on here, namely the TV equivalent of \ ---
**Author:** ![WalterBishop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@WalterBishop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WalterBishop)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/13 "2025-11-11T13:10:10Z")
The BBC definitely did edit Trump’s speech in a misleading way, and it’s hard to argue that it was unintentional. The uproar is mostly due to the fact that people are essentially forced to pay for the BBC, and it’s quite expensive. A TV license for one household costs £175.00 a year ($230.00) and it goes up every year. A lot of people (myself included, frankly) resent having to pay it. It’s not _technically_ obligatory, but not having a TV license severely restricts what you can watch - especially if you like watching sports. For that price, the news service damn well better be reliable. ---
**Author:** ![FurloeRoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@FurloeRoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FurloeRoth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/14 "2025-11-11T13:20:38Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > That well-known paragon of impartiality, in-depth analysis and measured judgement …… …sure, but you don’t have to buy it and it doesn’t claim to speak for the nation. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/15 "2025-11-11T14:14:28Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > The annoying thing is that _it didn’t need to be manipulated to convey its obvious intent._ > They could’ve done what is insisted on here, namely the TV equivalent of Yeah, exactly how I feel about it. I heard it described as an “unforced error” and that feels exactly right. It would be simple enough to make the case that Trump was inciting violence _without_ having edited him in this way. From what I saw, right when the audio cut happens, they switch from Trump speech footage to B roll. Which makes it _feel_ more deceptive, whether or not that was the intent, because you can’t see the cut. It’s a little annoying in that there _are_ some legitimate concerns about bias in the BBC, but this feels more like a stupid fuck up than real bias. (Maybe they didn’t catch the problem because of a very justified dislike of Trump, but that’s a reach). ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/16 "2025-11-11T15:08:01Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > The annoying thing is that _it didn’t need to be manipulated to convey its obvious intent._ > They could’ve done what is insisted on here, namely the TV equivalent of \ I don’t know. The ad by the government of Ontario a few weeks back was quoting Reagan quite exactly, rearranging sentences from a single speech but not really changing the meaning, and was still denounced as a Great Big Lie by the Big Lie specialist. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/17 "2025-11-11T17:27:49Z")
I’m not a lawyer, so I have no idea how this would work. What is the actual legal ability to sue a corporation in another country? Especially for $1 billion? I mean, we’ve seen him sue for defamation against companies in America, but I’m unsure as to how someone can sue a company that broadcasts in a completely different country. They’re not subject to American laws, he’s not a British citizen. Is this a legit situation, or is it just more posturing? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/18 "2025-11-11T17:55:00Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Is this a legit situation, or is it just more posturing? The BBC’s director and the CEO of BBC News both resigned over this, so it seems like it’s legitimately a situation. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/19 "2025-11-11T18:06:34Z")
There’s what seems to be a fairly decent analysis of the potential threat [here](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-bbc-panorama-legal-sue-b2862699.html) at the Independent. Short version seems to be: - If he wants to sue under British law, he’s already too late (there is a 1 year limitation and that has passed). - If he wants to sue under Florida law, he has to prove that the offending programme was broadcast in the USA (and it wasn’t) - and in US defamation cases I believe he has to establish that there was actual malice. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743/20 "2025-11-11T18:07:30Z")
Trump is the most powerful man in the world. Nothing he does can be brushed off as merely posturing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sued-for-fight-like-hell/1024743.md?page=2)