Bruce is the answer for Question Time
BBC news presenter is ‘thrilled but daunted’ to step into the shoes of her TV hero David Dimbleby
QUESTION TIME is to have a “softer” feel after Fiona Bruce agreed to take over as host, signing up for the job on condition that she continues to present Antiques Roadshow, Fake or Fortune? and the BBC’S flagship news bulletins.
The heavy workload will make Bruce one of the corporation’s highestpaid stars, adding the Question Time fee to her previously published salary of £350,000-£399,999.
It will also make her one of the busiest. Bruce’s only concession to her new role will be to cut back on the number of Six O’clock and Ten O’clock News bulletins she presents, although she will still front them regularly.
Bruce emerged as a surprise frontrunner last month after auditioning to replace David Dimbleby, who is stepping down after 25 years. The BBC said she would bring “warmth” to the role and act as a people’s champion.
Dimbleby’s salary has never been published because he was paid via Mentorn, the independent production company. However, Bruce’s salary will come direct from the BBC and therefore be in the public domain when salaries are disclosed in next summer’s annual report.
A source said that producers were keen to give the show “a softer feel”.
The two other shortlisted presenters were Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark and Emily Maitlis.
Bruce was determined to hang on to Antiques Roadshow, which she has presented for a decade, and her other commitments.
In an interview in 2012, she claimed that she did not expect her career to last too much longer. “Age is definitely an issue for women in TV,” she said.
“There comes a point – especially if you’re a woman – when your career just falls off a cliff. I’m not being selfpitying. That’s just the way it is.”
However, the BBC’S pledge to close the gender pay gap led to the creation of an all-woman shortlist for Question Time. At 54, Bruce is 26 years younger than Dimbleby.
Fran Unsworth, director of BBC News and Current Affairs, said: “Question Time is one of our flagship political programmes, giving people across Britain the chance to hold the powerful to account.
“David is a tough act to follow but Fiona impressed us all with her authority, warmth and ability to connect with the audience and champion their concerns.”
Bruce said: “It is an honour to be asked to take on one of the great political programmes of the BBC, particularly at a time of such historic change for the UK and tumult at Westminster.”
Bruce started her BBC career as a researcher on Panorama in 1990 before becoming a reporter and presenter for BBC Breakfast and Newsnight. In 1999 she was promoted to the Six O’clock News. In 2001, she became the first female presenter in the BBC’S general election studio team.
She will take over when the new series begins on Jan 10.
Meanwhile last night a BBC executive risked angering viewers when she said that viewers “love repeats” at Christmas.
Kate Philips, the controller for entertainment, made the claim after it emerged that 59 per cent of the content on the BBC’S two main channels over Christmas had aired before, The Mirror reported.
Shows set to be repeated include The Vicar of Dibley and Dad’s Army.
‘It is a show I have watched for as long as I can remember and have long wanted to be part of. I can’t wait to start’