The BBC’s new director general Matt Brittin said 'tough choices are unavoidable' as he arrived at Broadcasting House on Monday morning to assume his new role.

Mr Brittin, 57, the former president of business and operations for Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, takes over from Tim Davie, who resigned after the broadcaster faced widespread criticism over a misleading Panorama edit of a Donald Trump speech, along with former BBC News CEO Deborah Turness.

Speaking to reporters on his way in, Brittin said he had a ‘strong coffee and deep breath’ before arriving.

He continued: ‘I’m about to walk through those doors as the new director general. I’m really honoured to be doing that and humbled to take the role.

‘I’m also very aware how complicated, uncertain and fast changing the world is. And I think, when I look at the 100 year history of the BBC, how it serves its audiences, how it’s adapted at pace and it’s risen in times of crisis.

‘I also believe that today the world needs the BBC more than ever, here in the UK and around the world for today and for tomorrow. And I look forward to listening and learning and leading with many colleagues to serve the audiences into the future. So, time to get started.’

Mr Brittin was faced with protesters from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) who are on strike over shift changes to World Service news programmes.

In his first email to staff, Brittin said how the BBC had reinvented itself over the decades and must once again ‘call on that sense of urgency now’.

He said the corporation needed to move with ‘velocity and clarity’ and ensure it is where audiences are, and ‘experiment more bravely’.

Mr Brittin added: ‘I know change will not be easy. Tough choices are unavoidable as we make savings.’

Mr Brittin was confirmed as the new director general in March, after Apple TV executive Jay Hunt and former Channel 4 chief Alex Mahon were understood to have ruled themselves out of contention.

Rhodri Talfan Davies has been the interim director general of the BBC since Davie stood down earlier this year.

Last month, he announced BBC News will be hit by fresh cuts as 2,000 employees face losing their jobs as the broadcaster looks to slash spending by 10 per cent in three years.

Leading an all-staff meeting of its 21,500-strong workforce, Davies said: 'As you know, the BBC is facing significant financial pressures, which we need to respond to with pace.

'Put simply, the gap between our costs and our income is growing. This is being driven by a number of factors: production inflation remains very high; our licence fee and commercial income is under pressure; and the global economy remains turbulent.

'To address this, we need to save an additional £500million from our total annual operating costs of £5billion over the next two years, with the bulk of the new savings required in 2027/28.

'Inevitably, these plans will also mean reducing the number of jobs in the BBC. While we still have to work through the detail, we anticipate that the overall number of jobs will fall by 1,800-2,000.

'I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge.'

He told employees that cost-control measures were being brought in 'with immediate effect' to 'support our financial position this year'.

On April 1, the licence fee rose to £180 per year.

Mr Brittin left Google last year after 18 years at the tech giant, the last 10 as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

After stepping down, he had announced plans to take what he called a 'mini gap year'.

In February 2025, Mr Brittin joined Guardian Media Group's board as a non-executive director.

Mr Brittin, previously part of the British rowing team at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, is expected to receive a financial package comparable to the £540,000 to £544,999 paid to Mr Davie.