David Dimbleby speaks out over Ed Havard’s Question Time departure

Question Time host David Dimbleby has spoken about the departure of editor Ed Havard who quit the political panel show earlier this week over plans by the BBC to move production to Glasgow.

 

Question Time host David Dimbleby has spoken about the departure of editor Ed Havard who quit the political panel show earlier this week over plans by the BBC to move production to Glasgow. The BBC want to move production of Question Time from its current base in London to Glasgow as part of its “ticking boxes” plans over moving 50% of its production outside London. Similar “ticking boxes” policy mean BBC Breakfast will move out of London and up to Salford though its presenters have yet to decide whether they’ll move with it.

“Question Time looks simple enough on air, but actually it’s the result of a great deal of work behind the scenes – at Westminster. Ed is a brilliant editor, one of the best we’ve ever had. It’s sad when a programme at the top of its game getting big audiences loses its editor. – David Dimbleby speaking to The Guardian.

The Guardian also reports that Dimbleby objects to the BBC’s plans to move Question Time to Glasgow. The political panel show is produced for the corporation by Mentorn but all senior production staff are BBC based and report directly to the corporation. Question Time has hit the headlines in recent years for its ratings highs; last year following the ‘hung parliament” and before that for having BNP leader Nick Griffin on the panel. BBC Three launched a spin-off from Question Time for last years General Election for first time voters and have since commissioned it as a full series.