Editing Question Time (TV programme) (section)

==Presenters==
===Sir Robin Day===
Veteran broadcaster [[Robin Day]] was the programme's first chair, presenting it for nearly 10 years until June 1989. ''Question Time'' soon gained popularity under Day's lead, with his quick wit and interrogation skills.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/870169.stm|title=Your tributes to Sir Robin Day|website=BBC}}</ref> His famous catchphrase when he had introduced the panel was: "There they are, and here we go."<ref name="30 Years of Question Time">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/question_time/8220219.stm|title=30 Years of Question Time|website=BBC|date=21 September 2009}}</ref>

The programme was mainly filmed at the Greenwood Theatre in London on the south side of [[London Bridge]]. Day's last appearance as presenter was broadcast from Paris on 12 July 1989. He was allowed to choose his own guests.<ref name="Sissons 2012"/>

===Peter Sissons===
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After Day retired, [[Peter Sissons]] took over and continued until 1993. The BBC decided to widen the programme's appeal by moving it around the country. The programme also changed its London location from the Greenwood Theatre to the [[Barbican Centre]]. Sissons' tenure as ''Question Time'' chair included three different editors. There were several problems during filming, including a bomb scare during a live recording, which resulted in the programme being taken off the air, and the death of an audience member who collapsed while recording.<ref name="Sissons 2012">{{cite book|last=Sissons|first=Peter|title=When One Door Closes|year=2012|publisher=Biteback|isbn=978-1-84954-075-9}}</ref>

The programme continued to enjoy good ratings during this period, notably on the day of [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s resignation on 22 November 1990, which featured two different panels over two editions.<ref name="Sissons 2012"/>

===David Dimbleby===
[[David Dimbleby]] succeeded Sissons as ''Question Time'' presenter in 1994, after the BBC held two pilot show auditions between Dimbleby and [[Jeremy Paxman]], with two different audiences and two different panels.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/dimbleby-provides-answer-for-question-time-1466997.html |title=Dimbleby provides answer for 'Question Time'|work=The Independent |date=12 December 1993 |access-date=7 September 2014 }}</ref> For a brief period under Dimbleby in the mid-1990s, there were a number of variations to the format, including the audience using voting keypads to take a poll of the audience at the end of the programme and Dimbleby getting out of his seat at intervals to question the audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/first-night-sure-footwork-from-dimbleby-question-time-bbc-television-1406768.html |title=First Night: Sure footwork from Dimbleby: 'Question Time', BBC Television |work=The Independent |date=14 January 1994 |access-date=7 September 2014}}</ref>

Dimbleby presented ''Question Time'' for 25 years, the programme's longest-serving presenter, until his final programme, aged 80, on 13 December 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/david-dimbleby-question-time-last-episode-tonight-bbc-fiona-bruce-brexit-theresa-may-vote-a8681316.html |title=David Dimbleby to host his final ever episode of Question Time tonight |newspaper=The Independent |date=13 December 2018  |author=Anu Shukla}}</ref>

===Fiona Bruce===
In December 2018, the BBC announced that [[Fiona Bruce]] would succeed Dimbleby as moderator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2018/fiona-bruce-question-time|title=Fiona Bruce announced as new Question Time presenter |date=7 December 2018 |access-date=7 December 2018|website=BBC}}</ref> Bruce—along with [[Samira Ahmed]], [[Victoria Derbyshire]], [[Emily Maitlis]], [[Nick Robinson (journalist)|Nick Robinson]], and [[Kirsty Wark]]—attended October 2018 auditions at London's [[James Allen's Girls' School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/oct/08/emily-maitlis-and-nick-robinson-audition-in-question-time-pilots|title=Ahmed, Maitlis, Robinson, and Wark audition for Question Time role|website=The Guardian|date=8 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/oct/09/victoria-derbyshire-and-fiona-bruce-filmed-for-question-time-job-bbc-auditions-david-dimbleby|title=Bruce and Derbyshire audition for Question Time role|website=The Guardian|date=9 October 2018}}</ref> She presented her first ''Question Time'' in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-46833072/question-time-fiona-bruce-s-debut-proves-popular|title=Praise for Fiona Bruce's first Question Time|work=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=11 January 2019}}</ref>

===Guest presenters===
''Question Time'' has seen various presenters deputise for the main chair. Sir [[Ludovic Kennedy]], [[Sue Lawley]] (the first woman to chair the programme), [[Bernard Levin]] (who is the only person to have been both programme chair and a panelist), and [[Donald MacCormick]], all moderated in Day's place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=Question+Time+with+Ludovic+Kennedy&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#search|title=Sir Ludovic Kennedy presents in place of Day|website=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=Question+Time+with+Sue+Lawley&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#search|title=Sue Lawley holds Day's fort|website=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=Question+Time+with+Bernard+Levin&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#search|title=Bernard Levin deputises for Day|website=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=Question+Time+with+Donald+MacCormick&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#search|title=Donald MacCormick in lieu of Day|website=BBC}}</ref>

In November 2009, [[John Humphrys]] presented in lieu of Dimbleby, who had been "injured by a bullock at his farm" causing him "briefly to be knocked out."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8356943.stm|title=John Humphrys presents in lieu of Dimbleby|website=BBC|date=12 November 2009}}</ref> In June 2017, [[Nick Robinson (journalist)|Nick Robinson]] presented a "Leaders Special" edition of ''Question Time''.  The programme was moved for news coverage of the [[2017 London Bridge attack|London Bridge attack]].  Dimbleby was preparing for the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|General Election coverage]]. [[Victoria Derbyshire]] presented the 31 March 2022 edition of Question Time in place of Bruce.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tj1sg|title=Nick Robinson presents Question Time Leaders Special|website=BBC}}</ref>