THE BBC has seen the highest number of complaints this year so far for a single issue after hundreds raised concerns of “pro-Conservative bias” on Question Time.
The complaints, which totalled more than 700, focused on a broadcast on June 23, 2022 which featured RMT union boss Mick Lynch.
The 708 complainants raised concerns of “bias against Mick Lynch / Bias in favour of the Conservative Party” during the Question Time show.
No single issue this year has attracted more complaints to the BBC, according to the fortnightly reports published on their website.
In March, 584 people complained about bias against JK Rowling on a Radio 4 broadcast, but the BBC noted this had come “after invitations to complain were posted online”.
No such caveat is applied to the more recent complaints about “pro-Tory bias”, but the edition of Question Time was widely criticised on social media at the time.
The show which attracted the complaints was broadcast on June 23 – one of the three dates which saw strike action from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) cripple train services across the UK.
Lynch, the RMT’s general secretary, had won widespread praise for his media appearances up to and during the industrial action.
His Question Time appearance proved controversial, with host Fiona Bruce accused at the time of “attacking” the trade union boss.
Labour MP Diane Abbott suggested Lynch had not been allowed a "fair say" as he was interrupted by Bruce on more than one occasion.
Watching Question Time with Mick Lynch. Audience overwhelmingly Tory. And Fiona Bruce is obviously determined that Mick Lynch will not have a fair say pic.twitter.com/v9LrzoRCdd
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) June 23, 2022
The BBC host was also accused on social media of not being impartial when at one point she said to Tory MP Rachel Maclean: "I’m going to say this for you Rachel since you’re quiet as a mouse.”
A report from Ofcom released the week of the broadcast found that the public was unhappy with the BBC's impartiality and complaints process.
Complaints about the BBC are nearly twice as high as they are for any other broadcasters, the watchdog said.
Question Time faced criticism earlier in June after it fielded a panel which had a majority of Conservative men.
The RMT declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "Question Time always selects its audiences to reflect recent voting trends and the current political picture of the nation it is broadcasting from. Those trends differ across the UK and we aim to reflect those differences."
They added: “It is the chair’s job to robustly scrutinise all panellists on the programme each week.”
