Editing Question Time (TV programme) (section)

==Format==
''Question Time'' panels are typically composed of five public figures, "nearly always [including] a representative from the [[UK government]] and the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|official opposition]]." The panel also features "representatives from other political parties across the series, taking as [its] guide the level of electoral support at national level which each party enjoys."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5HrMm77Yz7vwzCZZ570nTdp/frequently-asked-questions|title=Composition of Question Time panels|website=BBC}}</ref>

High-profile journalists and authors, television and radio broadcasters, and comedians, join the panel, as do business leaders from well-known companies, and leading or expert academics, lawyers, police officers, and clerics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t1q9/episodes/guide|title=Question Time panels|website=BBC}}</ref>

With the exception of [[Margaret Thatcher]], every British Prime Minister that has held office since the programme began in 1979 has appeared as a regular panelist at some point. Additionally, former Prime Ministers [[Edward Heath]] and [[James Callaghan]] also participated in panels, with Callaghan's single appearance coming in a special edition marking the resignation of Thatcher on 22 November 1990. Additionally, every leader of the Conservative party after  Thatcher and prior to Rishi Sunak, Labour after [[Harold Wilson]] and the Liberal/Liberal Democrat parties after [[Clement Davies]] with the single exception of [[Jeremy Thorpe]], have appeared as panelists.

Audience members are selected by the 'audience producer' based on age, gender, occupation, ethnicity, disability status, voting intention, voting history, and party membership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u21723349?ptrt=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t1q9|title=Question Time audience selection process|website=BBC}}</ref> The audience members are "requested to come up with two questions, to be considered for the programme." The panel hears the questions for the first time, when the audience members ask them. Applicants are contacted on the Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday before the programme, although due to a "high volume of requests", the team are unable to call everyone.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u21723349?ptrt=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t1q9|title=Question Time audience|website=BBC}}</ref>

''Question Time'' is usually recorded "as-live", and in a [[single-take]], shortly before transmission. The programme is only edited on "very rare" occasions for legal or taste reasons, or because it over-runs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5HrMm77Yz7vwzCZZ570nTdp/frequently-asked-questions|title=Question Time recordings|website=BBC}}</ref> For example, ''[[The Observer]]'' newspaper reported in 1986 that "The BBC's lawyers ordered nine seconds of ''Question Time'' to be deleted by the old-fashioned method of simply cutting off the sound".<ref>'"High Tech, low tech, no tech"'', The Observer,'' 9 February 1986</ref>