Thread by @docrussjackson

Nick Pisani was appointed #bbcqt Editor in 2000, resigning abruptly in May 2005 after news was leaked that he had been offered a job as David Cameron's head of TV presentation.

Ed Havard was made acting editor in May 2005 & in 2009 offered a seat on the panel to Nick Griffin.

In a shameless & sinister clickbait post in March 2020, #bbcqt uploaded anti-immigrant Twitter comments from a far-right supporter who allegedly also ran for the National Front and showed support for the English Defence League. Baroness Warsi & MP Debbie Abrahams wrote to #bbcqt:

“Producers of #bbcqt seek out controversial members of the audience in an attempt to curry large ratings... By providing a platform for views that are racist or sexist, the institution is normalising them & contributing to the coarsening of public debate & the growing toxicity".

Warsi & Abrahams argued that the @BBC has a duty to avoid inflaming hate. Their letter asks how the Question Time audience is sourced and seeks a response to their assertion that far right supporters are invited to appear on the show.

theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2…

Until today I'd never heard of #bbcqt Editor Hilary O'Neill, so it's fascinating to find she's already blocked me.

#bbcqt was once a genuinely valuable public service, but is now - like much @BBCPolitics' output - merely a tightly controlled vehicle for right-wing #propaganda.

It's a travesty bordering on criminal that @BBC Chair is multi-millionaire former investment banker who was Rishi Sunak’s boss, Richard Sharpe, who "gave" £400,000 to the Tories - for what exactly? 🤔

An anti-democratic stitch-up from a corrupt Govt.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1206992886841192451