Question Time is set to air from Dundee’s Caird Hall on Thursday evening, bringing together Scottish heavyweights from the worlds of politics and literature.
The BBC’s flagship debate show returns to the City of Discovery for the first time in four years, with audience members set to quiz the panel on a range of issues from Scottish Independence to the Labour leadership race.
Fiona Bruce will chair the programme, which airs on BBC One at 10:35pm.
Here's our panel for tomorrow. We have @TomTugendhat, @IanMurrayMP, @joannaccherry, @valmcdermid and @alexmassie. Join us from Dundee at 10:35pm on BBC One. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/2UysiTmAPX
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) February 12, 2020
However, the last edition of the show to emanate from the city in March 2016 was mired in controversy following claims of a ‘Brexit bias’.
Dozens of viewers, including several leading political lights, complained about an ‘overly partisan’ audience with views skewed towards backing the UK’s departure from the EU.
That evening, the panel consisted of then-Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, SNP deputy John Swinney, Jenny Marra from Scottish Labour, the Scottish Greens’ Patrick Harvie and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie.
The debate around audience selection prompted the corporation to issue a statement on the process.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are careful to select audiences which are politically balanced and reflect a range of political views.
“Every member of this audience was a Scottish resident and from Dundee or the surrounding area.
“They are chosen because they hold a spectrum of views on a number of topics, including the EU referendum and Scottish independence.”
Read our guide to the panellists below.
Joanna Cherry
The SNP MP for Edinburgh South West and party spokesperson for home affairs and justice brought the prorogation of parliament before lawmakers last year, resulting in the decision being cancelled. Cherry becomes the first SNP representation on the show for almost a month, but has been a controversial character in the independence movement for alleged transphobic views surrounding the Gender Recognition Act.
Val McDermid
The Fife-born crime writer backed independence in 2014 and remaining in the European Union during the referendum two years later. The legendary crime author, described as the "titan of tartan noir" previously attacked the BBC’s coverage of Nicola Sturgeon, describing one report as “insulting a politician for doing [her] job.”
Ian Murray
Scotland’s only Labour MP and a candidate for the deputy leadership of the party, Murray is a fierce opponent of outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn and has previously urged members “not to vote for [me] if you are happy with the current position of the Labour party.”
Alex Massie
The Scotland editor of the Spectator and columnist for The Times, Massie was previously Washington correspondent for The Scotsman and Assistant Editor of Scotland on Sunday. Writing for The Times at the end of January, he said: “Nicola Sturgeon still insists, despite plainly observable reality, there will be another referendum on independence this year.”
Tom Tugendhat
The Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling and chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs select committee will be more than 450 miles away from his constituency when he faces the panel in Dundee. Tugendhat backed remain in the 2016 EU referendum, but then went on to vote for Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement on three separate occasions.
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