Question Time to go out on radio

Long-running BBC1 debate show Question Time is to expand to radio.

The weekly programme, chaired by David Dimbleby, will be aired on BBC Radio 5 Live at the same time it is broadcast on television.

The move comes as the new controller of the radio station, Jonathan Wall, announced schedule changes designed to put increased emphasis on news and politics.

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The radio version of Question Time will be aired from 16 May, with Stephen Nolan and John Pienaar hosting the build-up to the programme from 10pm, with the debate itself being 
simulcast 35 minutes later as it transmits on BBC1. The pair will then follow up with debate on topics addressed by the show.

Steve Anderson, executive producer of the political panel show, said the expansion was “testament to Question Time’s importance”.

In another change, the Sunday programme Pienaar’s Politics will move from its evening slot to a new time of 10am.

The presenter said: “With a coalition government in office, and the country still in an 
economic hole, it’s important to watch our politicians, explain what they’re up to, and hold them to account.”