Quotation of the Day – 7 August 2010

From a commenter at Guido's site, in a thread on an unrelated topic, but interesting in respect of BBC audiences. This was regarding Any Questions, but follows the same pattern as has become apparent on Question Time...

"Funny thing… I was in the audience of Any Questions in Bury St. Edmunds last night. You get a ticket and write your question on it and hand it in when you arrive. The BBC pick which questions to ask.

The audience was mainly local people (middle-aged couples) but the people whose questions were picked were fairly atypical… mostly young and one had a Scottish accent (rare in these parts). The one who raised the biggest laugh was the woman who objected against Cameron’s plans on social housing… JD asked her where she lived and she said “Somewhere…” hoots of derision from the rest of us.

After the show most of the people who’d asked the questions hung around outside the venue as though they were waiting for a lift. Something’s not quite right here. I believe the BBC bus people in, scatter them in the audience and then ‘choose’ them."

The first and last paragraphs accord exactly with what those participating in the Question Time LiveChats at Biased-BBC have long realised, along with a host of other obvious (if you're paying attention) attempts by the BBC host and producer(s) to heavily bias the programme their way (i.e. pro-Left). It is hardly a surprise to discover that the same practices seem to apply to their radio version of the programme, interestingly also hosted by a Dimbleby, Jonathon, the "JD" referred to in the comment...