Trump’s Lawsuit Against BBC Adjusts to Exclude Commercial Arm as Trial Approaches

Donald Trump has amended his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, narrowing the scope to exclude BBC Studios as reports suggest the U.S. government may intervene in the case.

The former president’s legal action, centered on a disputed edit of his January 6 Capitol speech in the BBC’s Panorama documentary, is set to proceed to trial in 2027. Court filings confirm that claims against BBC Studios have been dismissed with prejudice, leaving Trump’s case focused solely on the BBC itself.

“All claims in this action asserted against the Studios Defendants are hereby dismissed with prejudice, with each party to bear its own costs and attorney’s fees,” the documents state. Trump will continue pursuing allegations against the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The BBC’s Panorama episode was produced by its internal current affairs team alongside October Films. Trump specifically targeted BBC Studios, which owns BritBox International, alleging the documentary was improperly broadcast in the U.S. The BBC has denied this claim.

The Financial Times reported that the U.S. government has signaled interest in joining the lawsuit, citing filings that mention it is “considering participating in this litigation.” The BBC criticized this potential involvement, calling it a “conflict of interest” between the state and the former president.

While the BBC previously apologized for the Panorama editing error, it argued the documentary was never aired in Florida or the U.S. to challenge the lawsuit’s jurisdiction. The trial remains scheduled for February 2027.

The controversy surrounding the edit, which merged two segments of Trump’s speech to imply incitement of insurrection, led to the departure of the BBC’s director general and head of news. Trump asserts the segment was “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory and malicious,” seeking $5 billion in damages for defamation and $5 billion under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

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