Question Time British National Party controversy

Question Time British National Party controversy

Protesters from Unite Against Fascism and other organisations gather outside the BBC Television Centre in London before the episode of Question Time
Date	September–October 2009
Location	BBC Television Centre, Shepherd's Bush, London
Participants	Nick Griffin, BBC, British National Party, UK political parties, UK media, Anti-BNP protesters

The Question Time British National Party controversy occurred in September and October 2009, due to an invitation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP), to be a panelist on Question Time, one of its flagship television programmes on current affairs.

The decision to have the BNP represented on the programme for the first time sparked public and political debate in the United Kingdom. At the heart of the matter was the BBC's public broadcasting mandate, requiring it to give equal prominence to political parties above a given level of electoral representation. Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, defended the BBC's decision to invite Griffin, stating, "the BNP has demonstrated a level of support that would normally lead to an occasional invitation to join the panel on Question Time. It is for that reason – not for some misguided desire to be controversial, but for that reason alone – that the invitation has been extended."^[1]

A late appeal was made to the BBC Trust, the BBC's governing body, by the Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain, to have the appearance blocked, which ultimately failed. Griffin appeared on the edition which aired on 22 October 2009. As the programme was due to go on air, public protests took place at BBC Television Centre in London. The pre-recorded programme featured Griffin alongside the Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw, the Conservative peer and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi, the Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs spokesperson Chris Huhne, and the writer/playwright Bonnie Greer. The edition was watched by over 8 million people – over half the total audience share – and more than double the previous record high for Question Time.