Keep public out of TV debates

Sir, - With the general election just a few weeks away, television programmers will be turning their attention to televised debates.

I hope steps will be taken to avoid repeats of such disgraceful scenes that the BBC allowed to happen in the second televised debate between Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond. There was orchestrated heckling and shouting down of Mr Darling.

Televised debates should be held without a studio audience and questions should be invited in advance.

There could still be viewer participation by phone-ins, texts or emails. This would allow panellists to make their points without interruption.

Panellists’ contributions, as a result, would hopefully be more substantive without relying, when in difficulty, on the same old distraction tactic of attacking Westminster, the Tories, bankers, Margaret Thatcher and the poll tax, all guaran-

teed to whip the baying mob into a frenzy.

I would also urge programme makers to invite people with knowledge and gravitas to sit on the panels and avoid socalled celebrities and comedians who are there for cheap laughs and who contribute nothing to the debates.

These debates are supposed to be for the enlightenment of the viewers and there is no place for the type of audiences that we now see on Question Time. Donald Lewis. Pine Cottage, Beech Hill, Gifford.