Format
Question Time began with a panel of four guests, usually one member from each of the three major parties (the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats) and another public figure, for example non-governmental organisation directors, newspaper columnists, or religious leaders. In 1999, the panel was enlarged to five, with another non-partisan member or leading member of a fourth political party joining the panel.
The Chairman sits in the middle and chairs the debate, deciding who can speak on the panel and bringing audience members into the discussion. Questions are submitted by the audience before the programme goes on air. The programme makers select some to put to the panel, who never know the questions before recording begins. During the programme, the presenter calls on the relevant members of the audience to put their question to the panel and gives each member an opportunity to answer the question and respond to each others' points. Every audience member is asked to bring a question and those chosen are informed immediately prior to filming.
Usually, filming takes place on the evening of broadcast, to ensure issues are as up-to-date as possible.
For a brief period in the mid-1990s, the programme used voting keypads to take a poll of the audience, who were stated to have been selected to provide a balanced sample compared with the nation as a whole.
During general election campaigns, the programme has taken a different format, with the party leaders appearing as single guests and fielding questions from the audience.
The BBC commissioned a new programme called The Big Questions in 2007 which has a similar format to Question Time but focuses on ethical and religious issues. It is broadcast on BBC One on Sunday mornings between 10am and 11am. Both programmes are produced by Mentorn Media.
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