Any Questions?
| Genre | Topical debate radio |
|---|---|
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station |
BBC Light Programme BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring |
Chairmen: Freddie Grisewood (1948 to 1967) David Jacobs (1967 to 1984) John Timpson (1984 to 1987) Jonathan Dimbleby (1987 - present) |
| Air dates | 12 October 1948 to Present |
| Website | Radio 4 |
Any Questions? is a topical debate radio programme in the United Kingdom that has been broadcast since 1948.
It is broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Friday evenings and repeated on Saturday afternoons, when it is followed by a phone-in response programme, Any Answers?, previously a postal response slot. Questions were originally far more diverse with a panel often made up of a clergyman, a journalist, an academic and either a politician or a trades unionist. Since current affairs journalists became its chairmen it nowadays typically features a panel with four members drawn from politicians from the major UK political parties and other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience, who are drawn from the locality being visited. Questions are collected from the audience and a number are then selected by a BBC producer. The chairman is Jonathan Dimbleby and it is produced by Lisa Jenkinson. In recent years the programme has made prominent use of the microblogging site Twitter, including the hashtag #bbcaq.
When the programme visits Scotland and Wales, representatives from the Scottish National Party or Plaid Cymru participate, as do the Northern Irish parties when Northern Ireland is visited.
When the programme was first broadcast there was a rule that no questions could be asked on topics that had been discussed in the Houses of Parliament during the last two weeks. This rule created considerable consternation to the panellists on a programme during the Suez war. Over time the rule was relaxed and eventually dropped. Another rule lasted much longer - a 1947 Cabinet Office minute barred ministers from appearing on the programme for many years on the grounds that a minister should not be expected to answer questions beyond their ministerial brief. Question Time launched without such a limitation and much lobbying took place until a Tory minister was allowed to take part. Since then the rules for ministers appearance has been the same for both radio and television. The panel members are not notified of the questions before the programme, although questions usually cover topical political questions. The last question is normally light hearted - the one most politicians fear most.
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