Approximate Time Guide to the evening
18:30. Doors open to the public
19:15 Doors close to the public
19:25 Venue welcomes the audience
19:30 The BBC’s warm-up
19:45 The BBC producer calls the questioners to the front row
20:00 BBC Radio 4 live news bulletin is played out
20:02 Live broadcast of Any Questions? (ends 20:50)
THE QUESTIONS
People can submit questions on any topic they like. Audience members can prepare questions in advance or on arrival at the venue. Question cards will be available on the night.
A compact Any Questions? box will be positioned in the foyer.
Questions can be submitted up to when the doors close, there is no limit on the number of questions each person can put in.
People who have submitted questions which have been selected for inclusion in the program will be invited to take a seat in the front row.
Any Questions?
Any Questions? was first broadcast on Friday 12th October 1948; for the first eighteen months it was a West of England Home Service programme, run from Bristol. It moved to London in April 1950, but after 61 years in the capital, it returned to the production offices in Bristol in 2011. Any Questions? is broadcast live on Radio 4 on most Friday evenings of the year following the 8pm news. The programme is repeated on Saturday lunchtimes at 1.10pm, and is followed at 2pm by the Any Answers? phone-in which gives listeners a chance to join in the debate by calling or e-mailing Anita Anand.
The programme travels throughout the United Kingdom, and occasionally to Europe, at the invitation of local organisations. The audience submits questions on the day of the broadcast and these are then sifted by the producer who selects a handful of questions across a range of subjects. Normally, four to six of them are included in the actual broadcast. One of the stringent and unchanging rules of Any Questions? is that the panel never sees the questions in advance; the panellists hear them for the first time at the same moment the audience in the hall and at home does.
The programme has had six presenters in its history. Freddie Grisewood was the first, steering the programme until December 1967 when David Jacobs took over. David Jacobs was chairman until July 1983; John Timpson chaired the programme until July 1987 after which Jonathan Dimbleby took the chair from September that year until June 2019. Chris Mason took over as presenter in October 2019, leaving the programme in June 2022 following his appointment as BBC Political Editor. BBC Political Correspondent Alex Forsyth took over the reins in Autumn 2022 and is the first permanent female presenter of the programme.
Currently, the most prolific panellist is the late Tony Benn, who first appeared in March1951 and contributed around 80 times to the programme! Over the years, many figures of note have appeared as panellists, including most past and present leaders of the political parties. Every Prime Minister since Harold Wilson has appeared on Any Questions at some point in their political career! Panels also feature many distinguished figures from the worlds of the Arts, Science, Business, Law and other areas of public life.
Currently, around 1.5 million people listen to the programme each week, the majority of them hearing the Saturday lunchtime repeat. The programme has only rarely had to come off air – once through audience disruption, once as a result of sabotage by disaffected schoolboys, and once during the Suez crisis when a Parliamentary ruling was breached.
More recently the programme had to be pulled off the air in April 2011 as a result of an unfortunate disruption to the trains which rendered three of the four panellists unable to reach the programme venue in County Durham. The programme was broadcast from a studio in London with panellists taking part from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, Any Questions celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Alex Forsyth
Alex has worked as a BBC political correspondent for the past eight years, putting her on the frontline of British politics during a particularly busy time which has seen three general elections, the EU referendum, multiple leadership contests and the Covid pandemic. During this period she has also covered as a presenter on Politics Live, the Westminster Hour & the World Tonight as well as regularly appearing on the Brexitcast and Newscast podcasts. By working as a political correspondent based outside of London, Alex has developed a new role for the BBC to diversify coverage and reach and reflect new audiences.
Since 2019 she’s travelled the UK, spending time with communities and providing the link between political strategy in Westminster and the wider public mood. Alex has also had stints in specialist departments including home affairs, education and foreign news, including periods living and working in Brussels and Beirut. Alex started out in journalism in local newspapers before joining BBC local radio teams in Oxford and then Southampton before moving to network news. She grew up in Portsmouth and now lives in the West Midlands. Alex is thrilled to be hosting Any Questions? It’s a programme she has listened to and loved for many years, providing a vital opportunity for people to put their questions to elected leaders, which is more important than ever given the noise that can often surround the political debate of our times. She looks forward to attempting to get some answers.
Five things you didn’t know about Alex:
1) One of my favourite jobs was being a waitress, which I did for several years. I loved the people I worked with, the sense of pulling together during really busy shifts which were all-consuming (and the odd glass of wind-down wine after a long day on your feet). It’s a job that requires a huge amount of stamina, but the best moments were when you got to add to someone’s special moment – like a kid’s birthday, an anniversary celebration or a retirement – and I have huge respect for the people who do that every day. I can also still carry four plates of food … just about.
2) I was going to be a doctor. I had my mind set on it when I was younger, and managed to land myself a place at medical school which turned out to be a decision led more by ambition than calling. It was a fascinating and challenging experience, but I soon realised it wasn’t for me and so I switched paths and ended up in political journalism – quite the change of direction. While the rethink set me back a bit, I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was a year in which I met amazingly dedicated people and had some great experiences, but also learnt it’s OK to quit and start again and I’m incredibly grateful for the fact I’ve somehow managed to end up in a job I love.
3) One of the first radio programmes I saw broadcast live was Any Questions? I was working in Brussels at the time and was offered a chance to sit in the audience for an episode Jonathan Dimbleby was presenting as part of a series of special events the BBC was hosting in European capitals. I remember being struck by the savvy questions from the audience, the willingness of the panel to take part in a debate programme in which they had no idea what would be asked and the ability of the production and technical team to make such a huge undertaking look and sound so smooth. I’m still pinching myself that within a few years I’ve gone from an audience member chuffed to get a ticket to the host of such a brilliant programme.
4) When I told my family I was going to be the new host of Any Questions? one of the first things one of my nieces asked was whether it meant I’d get famous and end up on Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve yet to break the news that’s unlikely to happen, though it’s probably a good thing given I’m (hopefully) more adept at navigating political debate than a foxtrot.
5) I spend a lot of my life on the road. For the past few years I’ve been travelling around the UK finding out what people think about events in Westminster, which requires a good knowledge of the country’s political geography, an appreciation of the brilliant and unexpected people you meet, a love of service-station food and a very understanding partner – all excellent preparation for Any Questions!