BBC's Fiona Bruce admits hosting Question Time is like 'walking a tightrope'

27 May 2024 , 23:00

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Fiona Bruce admits hosting Question Time is like 'walking a tightrope' but says she's a 'masochist'

BBC veteran host Fiona Bruce admitted hosting Question Time has been like 'walking a tightrope' as she has 'no idea what anyone is going to say'.

The 60-year-old journalist and presenter succeeded host David Dimbleby on Question Time in 2019 as the first full-time female host. She has debated and discussed multiple important topics over the years but has also received backlash over certain conversations, leading to her apologising for her comments.

In a recent interview, Fiona opened up about the difficult job of choosing balanced topics for the show, and whether some topics are 'too grim'. While they cover Israel's bombardment of Palestine and the war in Ukraine, they also covered the couple of guys who mistook the lights from a Premier Inn as the northern lights.

Speaking about the range of news stories, she said: "You’re walking a tightrope on Question Time, more than any programme I do, because I have no idea what anyone’s going to say, particularly when it comes to the audience. I have to respond to that in the right manner and if I get it wrong, social media does not hesitate to let me know about it."

Fiona opened up about the difficulties of the show (PA)

She said being on Question Time is like 'walking a tightrope' (PA)

"You can’t imagine what it’s like to do the job until you’re doing it, and whether you’ll relish that challenge or you’re in the wrong job. I rather enjoy it – maybe I’m a masochist," she added to Radio Times. Fiona previously opened up about the emotional challenges she faces when delivering heart-wrenching news.

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The newsreader and presenter spoke about the fine line presenters must walk, acknowledging that they have to "tread a line" to ensure they don't overshadow the stories. Fiona opened up to MailOnline in 2021 about how the burden of communicating tragic events never lessens. She mused: "It's a very big close-up. You need to tread a line between not getting in the way of the story and not being a robot."‌

When pressed by the publication about whether the news still impacts her on a personal level, Fiona was forthright. "Yesterday I wept listening to testimony by the mother of Sarah Everard [the 33-year-old who was abducted and murdered by a serving police officer]. Who wouldn't?"

Fiona shared how emotionally challenging it would have been to create content about a particular incident on the show. She further explained: "If I'd had to read that on the news I would have struggled. I would have had to rehearse it to make sure my throat didn't catch."

Zara Woodcock