Fiona Bruce interrupted Question Time to issue a major show update (Image: BBC)
Fiona Bruce brought Question Time to a halt minutes before the BBC politics show came to an end to announce a major schedule shake-up. On Thursday night (June 4), the 62-year-old broadcaster returned to the helm for a special edition of the late-night show ahead of the Makerfield by-election. She welcomed the candidates for the upcoming election, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Conservative MP Michael Winstanley, Liberal Democrat candidate Jake Austin, Green Party MP Sarah Wakefield and Reform MP candidate Robert Keyon onto the panel.
The audience members were quick to grill the politicians days before the big vote, but moments before the show ended, the broadcaster made a shock announcement. She told viewers: “Question Time is coming off air for the World Cup for all you footy fans.
However, she reassured viewers that the show isn’t leaving the airwaves for good as she shared their return date later this year. She went on: “We will be back in September, ready to start again. So thank you, everybody, from Makerfield and from Question Time.”
But this isn’t the first time the politics show was pulled from its regular slot. Last month, the show was forced to go off air as the country geared up for the local elections. This was due to polling stations remaining open until 10pm that night, meaning television and radio broadcasters were prohibited from airing political coverage of the election until they closed.
Instead, the program was broadcast for a post-election special on May 8, with the recording taking place in the country’s capital. Fiona alerted audiences to the alteration the previous week, reminding viewers: “Let me just say that we are in London next week for our programme and we are not going to be on air on Thursday.
“That’s the results night for the elections. We are going to be on air on Friday when most of the results will have come in. So we shall see where we are.” BBC viewers saw extensive coverage of the elections on Friday, with broadcaster Sophie Raworth leading the coverage with Vicki Young at her side.
Reform MP Robert Kenyon refused to apologise to Carol Vorderman live on air (Image: BBC)
It comes after Nigel Farage and Reform UK are threatening to boycott every BBC show in a fresh row over “seriously defamatory” comments allegedly made by a presenter. Mr Farage’s team claimed that Newsnight host Matt Chorley deliberately changed the senior politician’s words in a row over the Henry Nowak murder.
Senior allies are demanding an on-air apology, a written apology posted online for seven days and a full probe into why Mr Chorley repeatedly used the phrase “white cold rage” instead of “pure, cold rage”. If these demands are not met, they will refuse to appear on BBC shows moving forward.
Despite these claims, Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon appeared on the late-night politics show, where he refused to apologise to Carol Vorderman for the crude comments he made about the broadcaster in a historic post.
