The BBC issued an apology on Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump for a Panorama episode that stitched together separate parts of his January 6, 2021 speech but refused Trump's demand for financial compensation.

The broadcaster also confirmed that the program will not be aired again.

A BBC spokesperson said: "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim."

A letter dated November 9, sent to the BBC by lawyers representing Trump, demands that the BBC issue "a full and fair retraction of the documentary," apologize, and "appropriately compensate" Trump for "the harm caused."

The letter states that the BBC must comply with these demands by Friday evening or face "legal action" for no less than $1 billion in damages.

The program was criticized for splicing together clips of Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, in a way that allegedly gave the misleading impression that he urged his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol and "fight like hell."