THE BBC is facing questions over how it determines the make-up of Question Time audiences after only one person nodded when asked who supported Scottish independence.
During Thursday night’s programme, broadcast from Musselburgh, Fiona Bruce called on the crowd to nod to indicate if they back Yes.
As the camera turned around to show the audience members, just one woman was nodding in response.
It comes as the programme seeks to respond to concerns over balance, with Bruce taking some steps to explain how producers ensure the political views of audiences are balanced in recent episodes.
During the show, which featured Douglas Ross, Anas Sarwar and John Swinney on the panel, Bruce assured viewers that the crowd was based on Scottish election results.
“We select our audience very carefully to reflect the electoral picture of the country we’re in – we’re in Scotland, so there are more people who voted for the SNP in our audience than any other single party.” Bruce said as the panel discussed plans for indyref2.
She went on: “Then, when it comes to independence, the audience is split roughly 50/50. Which, you know, follows the trend in polling.”
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But despite this statement, just one guest was willing to publicly declare their backing for Yes when prompted to do so.
The clip was quickly picked up online with MSPs among those attacking the programme.
Paul McLennan, who represents East Lothian at Holyrood, wrote: “This says it all - no comment needed. Never watch this now.”
SNP staffer Olaf Stando added: “Latest Scottish Election Study, which is a gold standard in polling, found 52% support for Scottish independence.
“One solitary indy supporter in the #bbcqt audience really stretches the BBC’s credibility, to put it mildly.”
Chris McEleny, the general secretary of Alba, told The National: “Maybe it is now the case that independence supporters are the silent majority.
“However, there did seem to be a lot of questions and contributions last night from members of the audience that had been lined up in advance.”
The National has contacted the BBC to clarify how audiences are selected and how the 50/50 split of Yes and No-supporting crowd members was determined.
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