‘AM I AMBITIOUS? WOULD YOU ASK A MAN THAT?!’

She’s proved her mettle as the first female presenter of Question Time, while also fronting the hugely popular Antiques Roadshow. Fiona Bruce talks to Ella Dove about ambition, juggling work and family and the Hollywood stars she dreams of interviewing

Journalist and broadcaster Fiona Bruce on her goals and dream interviewees

Fiona Bruce is a true pro. Her journalistic curiosity is so strong that more than once on our photo shoot, I find the tables turning, her asking me questions. ‘Oh yes, whoops,’ she smiles broadly when I point this out. ‘Force of habit.’ The Question Time and Antiques Roadshow host is down to earth, warm and reflective. She is dressed casually in trousers and a blouse, and describes herself as ‘very low maintenance’. Rarely in make-up outside work, when asked about her must-have beauty product, she laughs – ‘I don’t have one!’

Fiona lives in London with her husband of 27 years, Nigel Sharrocks, son Sam, 23, and daughter, Mia, 19. ‘I’ve always firmly believed that there is more to life than work,’ she says, although she does put in ‘a lot of hours’. The first woman to host Question Time, she takes her roles very seriously, and her passion and enthusiasm for what she does is clear.

In December last year, Question Time recruited the QT50, a virtual audience of 50 members of the UK public, 20 of whom appear on the show each week. However, pandemic restrictions permitting, a live studio audience is set to return this month and Fiona can’t wait to see them in person…

How are you feeling about having a live audience on Question Time again?

When the live audience comes back I will kiss every single one of them, whether they like it or not! There is no substitute for having people actually there, seeing what they want to talk about and gauging their reactions when the politicians speak. Having a live audience makes the programme an event – it’s the bit I enjoy most.

What has it been like presenting with a virtual audience?

For the show to work, we need to be able to hear people speak and we can’t have people in family bubbles, because we need an audience that is representative of the political picture of the nation. What we did was have a kind of Zoom group of 50 people, and we chose 20 of them each week to appear. So it has been very difficult, and a bit of a triumph that we managed to keep going.

Who would be your dream guests on the show?

There are people who have never said yes to us, Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak, for example, I’d love them to come on. I’d love George Clooney and Brad Pitt, too; I’ve no idea if they would have anything interesting to say, but who cares?

Can you tell us any backstage secrets?

We once had a politician who wanted a room to meditate in before the start of the programme. But I’m not going to tell you who it was!

What was it like presenting the news during the pandemic?

There were times when coming into the newsroom didn’t feel good because the pandemic was really peaking. And lots of people’s NHS apps were pinging telling them to self-isolate. I remember I came in one day and one of the editors muttered darkly, ‘17 people have had to go home already,’ because their apps were going off. So you just think, ‘Ugh, I’m not really sure if I want to be here.’ But that was a handful of times; otherwise it was really good to keep going as it gave me a focus and it felt important to keep people informed.

Did you feel a weight of responsibility?

I always feel that. But I think in such unprecedented, terrifying and heartbreaking times, everyone in the newsroom felt the responsibility to get the facts right, not to overstate it but not to understate it either, to try to find that line and to give people the information they needed in a responsible way.

Antiques Roadshow has also been affected by pandemic restrictions. Has that been difficult?

It has been different. Usually, we’d have 5,000 people come to a roadshow – again, it’s an event. But now we invite people to contact us beforehand with things they might want to bring along so that we minimise crowds. The unpredictability of the show has gone for now.

However, in future, my hope is that we’ll do both, so that we have banked stories we’ll definitely be filming, but also allow room for whatever people bring in on the day. That’s the joy of it, discovering that a vase someone thinks is worth nothing is actually a piece of Lalique!

What do you love so much about Antiques Roadshow after all these years?

What’s not to love? I go to the most beautiful places in the UK. Rain or shine – and there’s a fair bit of rain – it’s a great event. A fantastic atmosphere. We get great stories, drama, mysteries; some solved, some not. All human life is there.

You began your career as a researcher for BBC’S Panorama. Did you always want to become a presenter?

No, I just wanted to be a journalist. I remember when I was at Panorama, a producer asked, ‘Have you ever thought about being on the other side of the camera?’ I didn’t do anything about it at the time. I never really thought much further than the next job; researcher, then assistant producer, producer and then a reporter in front of the camera.

What drives you when it comes to work?

None of my roles are jobs where you can just coast along. With Question Time and BBC News, you have to try to be at the top of your game and absolutely on your mettle. Antiques Roadshow is demanding in a very different way, but I’m always looking for a story to highlight.

Would you describe yourself as ambitious?

A woman should never ask another woman that question! When I started my career, I got asked that time and time again. In the end, I was thoroughly sick of it because I never heard a man being asked that. It’s the same as only women being described as ‘feisty’. You want to do as well as you can in your job – that’s human nature.

Have you seen improvement in the TV industry when it comes to diversity and representation?

I think we have a way to go as an industry on diversity, race and disability in particular. And on class, actually. I don’t think the BBC is any different from other big broadcasters. We’re quite good at putting it on screen, less good at putting it behind screen, which is where the vast majority of people are.

Do you worry about work stopping for you one day?

I’ll be the last person to find out when it does – I’ll probably read about it in the papers before anyone tells me! But no, I don’t worry. I’ve always told my husband that when it does happen, I’ll feel really sad, but I have to remember what a brilliant innings I’ve had. One can end up being defined by work, so it’s hard not to see yourself through that prism – but even though I love it and I put in a lot of hours, I firmly believe that there is more to life than work.

I firmly believe that there is more to life than work

Did you take up any new activities during the lockdowns?

I thought I should, so my daughter bought me some knitting needles and wool. I tried to cast on about six times and every time just ended up with big holes, so I eventually gave up. At least I gave it a go!

Did the pandemic lead to more family time?

It did, and that was hugely precious. The children both live at home – my son is working and my daughter would have been at university, but she got caught up in the A-level algorithm issue, which means she’s starting this year instead. She had the toughest experience in our family, because she then had a very strange year where she couldn’t really do anything. But the fact that my children want to spend any time with us at all is something I thank my lucky stars for. We developed a cooking schedule during lockdown and we played a lot of very competitive badminton in the garden.

How do you stay physically active?

I try to work out a couple of times a week, and I go running two or three times a week. I don’t have a particular fitness schedule to write home about, but I’m quite a restless person, so it helps me to do something. It gives me more stamina and increases my energy levels.

And what helps you to relax?

My favourite thing is horse riding. I took it up about 10 years ago, which is quite late in life seeing as I’m 57 now. So I’ll never be particularly good at it. But I just find it an utter switch-off. I’m out in the countryside and I can only think about what I’m doing in that moment. I try to do it once or

twice a week, and I go with my daughter, which is a real joy. I love the fact that we do it together.

How have you managed the balance between motherhood and climbing the career ladder?

It was definitely helped by having the same nanny living with us for 20 years. She left when Mia finished her GCSES, but she’s a firm family friend. Did I spend enough time with my children? I think scratch the surface of any working woman and she will always think, ‘Probably not.’ I don’t think there’s such a thing as quality time with your children. I think it’s quantity. But there’s never been any question that they take precedence over everything in my life, and always have done.

Has your attitude to life changed in the past 18 months?

It’s funny, isn’t it? That sometimes the less work you do, the less you want to do. I had a period a while ago where I broke my foot and I couldn’t work for a month. To begin with, I was bouncing off the walls and I realised I needed to get a lot more Zen or I was going to drive myself and everyone else crazy. The pandemic was a bit like that; at the start, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’m certainly pickier about what I do with my time now, and I am trying to carve out more time to spend with the people I love. My attitude to both work and life is simply this: try to keep your ducks in a row and try not to think too much further ahead.

What are your aspirations for the future?

If you’d asked me 10 years ago: ‘Is Question Time an ambition?’ It wasn’t, because it’s not something I ever dreamed would come my way. So when it did, I felt like I couldn’t imagine it getting better than that – and to be honest, I still can’t. So I don’t have a great ambition at the moment. However, if someone told me I could interview all the Hollywood stars I fancy, that wouldn’t be bad!

Question Time airs Thursdays from 10.45pm on BBC One

I’m thankful my children want to spend any time with us at all!