The BBC Director-General has quit after just 54 days in the job.

George Entwistle has resigned after criticism over his handling of 2 Newsnight programmes.

The BBC first came under fire last month for not airing allegations of child sex abuse committed by the TV presenter Jimmy Savile.

Then earlier this month the Newsnight programme wrongly implicated the former senior Conservative politician – Lord Robert McAlpine – in a child abuse scandal.

Speaking in London last night Mr. Entwistle  said “the wholly exceptional events of the past few weeks” had convinced him to step down.

Journalist and BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman says his departure as Director-General is a “great shame”.

He said the former BBC boss has been “brought low by cowards and incompetents”.

Mr. Paxman says the problem of the corporation was to play it safe in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry as well as enforcing cuts in programme budgets.

Ultimately Responsible

In a statement last night Mr. Entwistle said “In the light of the fact that the Director-General is also the Editor-in-Chief and ultimately responsible for all content; and in the light of the unacceptable journalistic standards of the Newsnight film broadcast on Friday 2nd November; I have decided that the honourable thing to do is to step down from the post of Director-General”.

He added that “While there is understandable public concern over a number of issues well covered in the media…I’m confident will be addressed by the Review process”.