Announcing his resignation on Sunday evening, Davie said:"Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable.

"While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.

"Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility."

In his speech in Washington DC on 6 January 2021, Trump said:"We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women."

However, in the Panorama edit he was shown saying:"We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."

The two sections of the speech that were edited together were more than 50 minutes apart.

The publication of the internal memo sparked criticism of the BBC, including from the White House, which described the corporation as"100% fake news" and a "propaganda machine".

The pair's resignations come ahead of BBC chairman Samir Shah saying that he would issue a statement to a parliamentary committee on Monday in which he was expected to apologise for the way the speech was edited.

Shah said it was a"sad day for the BBC" and that Davie "had the full support of me and the [BBC] board throughout" his tenure.

He continued:"However, I understand the continued pressure on him, personally and professionally, which has led him to take this decision today. The whole board respects the decision and the reasons for it."

Turness said the Panorama controversy had "reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC", adding:"The buck stops with me."