Any Questions: BBC debate show is 'biased' because Tories don't show up, panelist claims

Why do Left-leaning voices from the floor appear to dominate Any Questions? Tories don’t turn up and the BBC can’t afford to vet the audience on Radio 4’s topical debate show for political bias, a panellist has claimed.

Even Jonathan Dimbleby, the Any Questions presenter, expressed his frustration that Conservative supporters are under-represented on the 67 year-old programme, according to Allison Pearson, the newspaper columnist, who claimed she was “shouted down” when she criticised Jeremy Corbyn during her appearance on last week’s edition.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Ms Pearson said she and other panellists critical of the Labour leader were subjected to “operatic sighs and jeers” from an “outrageously biased” audience during the programme, broadcast from Impington Village College, outside Cambridge.

“How could it be, when almost all of Cambridgeshire and, indeed, East Anglia, is true blue that the Any Questions audience appeared to be composed mainly of Corbyn fans?,” Ms Pearson asked.

She wrote: “After the recording, the show’s excellent host, Jonathan Dimbleby, sighed heavily and told me it was a constant problem.

“He and the whole AQ team found it immensely frustrating that Tories simply did not show up on the night to add their voices. The producer said it would cost £5,000 a week to pay someone to assemble a politically balanced audience.”

Although members of the public applying to take part in BBC1’s Question Time are asked their political affiliations to try and ensure balance, Any Questions, produced by Lisa Jenkinson, leaves responsibility for audience selection entirely in the hands of the venue hosting the programme.

Venue managers are asked to offer “a number of tickets (approximately 10) to the local political parties in your area.” Members of the host’s organisation should be given “first call” on tickets and one third must be made “available to the general public on a first come, first served basis”.

The BBC, which pays £100 to hire the hall, advises that “people can submit questions on any topic they like”.

A BBC spokesman said: “Since Any Questions started in 1948, we haven't routinely vetted the audience which is recruited by the host venue with guidance from the BBC. Tickets are distributed fairly to political parties in the area, to the venue's own community and among local people in general.

“In addition to the audience, the diverse panel and Jonathan's robust chairing all contribute to a range of views being heard during the programme and it's not unusual for there to be a lively debate across issues.”

Ms Pearson was told before last week’s edition that both the Conservative Party and Ukip had accepted the tickets that were offered to them. By contrast, the Question Time producers will actively approach members of groups to apply for tickets if they fear a point of view is under-represented.

Any Questions operates on a tight budget. Venues must bear the cost of Green Room refreshments and “carpeting or matting for the tables and chairs to rest on to prevent our microphones from picking up sounds of scraping chairs or shuffling feet during the broadcast.” BBC expenses do cover “reasonably priced good local food” for the panellists before the live programme.

Right-leaning voices agreed with Ms Pearson. The Ukip MEP Patrick O'Flynn said the author had described “an experience not altogether unfamiliar to me.” Fellow Telegraph columnist Toby Young tweeted: “I had exactly the same experience when I dared to question Jeremy Corbyn on Any Questions.”