EastEnders star Colin Salmon has hit out at people ‘celebrating’ the idea that US President Donald Trump could sue the BBC.

The 63-year-old actor, who plays George Knight in the BBC soap, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to give his views on the subject. It comes as Trump threatened to sue the BBC over its editing of his Capitol Hill speech from 2021 in a Panorama programme.

Blasting members of the public who thought this was a good thing, Colin wrote: “When British people celebrate the idea of suing the BBC they are actually celebrating suing ourselves. We are the custodians of what is considered to be the greatest most balanced of global broadcasters, owned by & answerable to, us. Patriots should really know this and protect it at all costs.

“The fact that we all have differing opinions over its fairness suggests it’s actually getting something right. That is the actual point. It’s never at the mercy of a sponsor, owner, magnate, billionaire & that should be applauded because that is so rare at this point in time. #ThinkAboutIt.”

Last week Trump sent a letter to the licence-funded BBC threatening legal action following the editing of his speech in the now-removed Panorama documentary.

The clip edited two parts of Trump’s speech together so he appeared to be explicitly calling for the Capitol Hill riot in January 2021. This was said to have been to “convey the message of the speech” made by Trump, so that Panorama viewers would “better understand” how it was received by the president’s supporters, and what was happening on the ground at that time.

BBC Chair Samir Shah has since apologised over the clip, which made it look like Trump supported the rioters. This allowed Trump’s press secretary to accuse the BBC of being “100% fake news” and brand it a “propoganda machine”.

Since this came to light, both BBC Director General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness have resigned over criticism of the edit. Stepping down from his role after 20 years at the BBC, Davie admitted there had “been some mistakes made” and that he had to “take ultimate responsibility”.

In a letter Davie said: “I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days.”

He added: “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.”

Trump’s claim that the BBC has “corrupt journalists” has since been rejected by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as Downing Street threw its weight behind the corporation, describing it as an “internationally renowned” institution.

The BBC has confirmed it had received a letter threatening legal action from the US President. A spokesperson said: “We will review the letter and respond directly in due course.”