Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Steph Brawn

BBC's Debate Night set to be pro-indy with three Yessers on panel

BBC Scotland's Debate Night show will have more pro-independence panelists than Unionist guests on Wednesday night.

The broadcaster has been heavily criticised for appearing to regularly give Better Together backers a bigger platform on its political shows, including Question Time.

But on Wednesday three pro-independence activists will be on the stage in Aberdeen to battle it out with one Labour and one Tory MSP on Debate Night.

Make Me Prime Minister runner-up and former Young Scots for Independence board member Kelly Given will be immediately back in the spotlight to share more of her constitutional views after she expressed her support for self-determination on the Channel 4 show.

She will be joined by fellow Yessers Alistair Heather - who is a writer and columnist for The National - and SNP MSP Gillian Martin.

The trio will be up against Tory MSP Tess White and Labour MSP Michael Marra as Stephen Jardine takes questions from the audience.

The BBC has in recent weeks attempted to address accusations it has a right-wing bias on shows like Question Time. 

Fiona Bruce began a show in September – coming from Grimsby - with a statement highlighting how it was “absolutely critical” to have “a fair range of views” on the programme, both in the audience and on the panel.

But the BBC is still facing questions on the matter. Last month, on a show from Musselburgh, only one person nodded when asked who supported Scottish independence.

During the show, which featured Douglas Ross, Anas Sarwar and John Swinney on the panel, Bruce assured viewers that the crowd was based on Scottish election results.

Debate Night will be shown at 10.30pm on the BBC Scotland channel. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.