WHILE Scotland may have an alternative in Debate Night now, let's not forget that Question Time's responsibilities have not changed.
As the BBC's "flagship political debate programme", it still has a duty to represent Scotland's voice in UK politics – one which we know it has struggled with, to put it mildly.
And, don't forget, the show is counted as a Scottish production in the BBC's paperwork.
Tonight's show will be on at the earlier time of 10.35pm, live from Dudley.
So, who will be appearing?
- Dominic Raab, Tory MP and former Brexit Secretary
- Margaret Beckett, Labour MP and former deputy leader of the party
- Owen Jones, journalist and political commentator
- Iain Martin, columnist for the TImes
- Javed Khan, chief executive of children's charity Barnardo's
Here is your first look at this week’s #bbcqt panel - join us tomorrow from the slightly earlier time of 10:35pm on @BBCOne and @bbc5live as we are joined by @DominicRaab Labour’s Margaret Beckett @OwenJones84 @iainmartin1 and @JavedKhanCEO pic.twitter.com/FISO1tfXJ4
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) March 6, 2019
Not the most enticing line-up for a Scottish audience, it must be said...
The next four shows are to be broadcast from London, Frome, Sheffield and Bolton.
The show was last in Scotland on February 7, and there hasn't been a single Scottish political figure on the panel since then.
Which is odd – when the BBC's Motherwell panel was slammed for being blatantly too Unionist for the area, they said the goal wasn't to reflect the specific place an episode is being filmed.
You'd think then that they could offer a slot to the third biggest party at Westminster a little more frequently, rather than simply at a token edition once every four months.
It does happen, but to call it rare would be far too generous...
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