Fiona Bruce reveals backstage briefing before Laurence Fox’s Question Time appearance
Fiona Bruce has admitted she was “briefed” about Laurence Fox ahead of his controversial Question Time appearance. The BBC were hit with more than 250 complaints about the episode he featured on after he clashed with an member of the audience over the treatment of Meghan Markle by the British press.
The 41-year-old was slammed for a comment he made to an audience member as he moaned the “race card” was being incorrectly used in the case of the Duchess of Sussex.
The Lewis actor received a massive backlash for his comments and Fiona has revealed her reaction to the infamous debate to Radio Times.
Fiona explained she was “briefed” about Laurence as she told Radio Times: “I had a briefing about Laurence, and what he might say, but the thing about Question Time is that it’s entirely unpredictable, so people will get into argument.
“I’m all for a passionate debate, and sometimes things can be heated, which is fine, up to a point.
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“As long as we remember that we are human beings. I feel very strongly about that. I hadn’t anticipated that I would spend so much of my time last year saying, ‘We don’t talk to each other like this.’”
Fiona then explained she believes the BBC show can be “toxic” at times but noted there has been an improvement.
Giving her take on Question Time, she said: “Well, it’s a lot calmer than last year. There was a level of anger and toxicity that this year, so far, is absent.”
The Question Time’s hosts comments refer to Laurence’s clash with an audience member earlier this year.
The audience member began: “The problem we’ve got with this is that Meghan has agreed to be Harry’s wife and the press have torn her to pieces.
“And let’s be really clear about what this is, let’s call it by its name, it’s racism. She’s a black woman and she has been torn to pieces.
“It’s not racism, you can’t call…” Laurence hit back before the audience member interrupted him.
“She has been torn to pieces,” she added to which Laurence denied: “It’s not racism.”
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“It absolutely is,” she responded before Laurence said: “It’s not racism. We’re the most tolerant, lovely country in Europe.
“It’s not racism. It’s so easy to throw the charge of racism at everybody and it’s really starting to get boring now.”
She interjected: “What worries me about your comment is you are a white, privileged male who has never experienced…”
“I can’t help what I am, I was born like this it’s an immutable characteristic. So to call me a white privileged male is to be racist. You’re being racist.”
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Meanwhile, the veteran host has spoken out on her future at the BBC and has revealed what will lead her to leave the network.
Speaking with Radio Times, the broadcaster said: “At some point, the BBC will decide it doesn’t want me to carry on [reading the news] and that is their decision.
“But if I have the choice to do it at the moment, I will. When I got my job, other people were losing theirs, Martin Lewis being one.
“So from the moment I was hired, I knew it would one day end for me in that way. I’ve always been sanguine about that.
“And that I would be the last person to find out, because that’s the way this business works, and there’s nothing I can do to change that,” Fiona concluded.
Question Time airs Thursday at 10:35pm on BBC One. The full interview with Fiona Bruce can be found in this week’s Radio Times.
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