Is now the moment to replace Dimbleby with Andrew Neil?
Is it time for the veteran broadcaster to bow out?
The Guardian is reporting that David Dimbleby is in a row with the BBC over a plan to move the production centre of his weekly Question Time programme from London to Glasgow as part of the overall objectives to shift activities out of the capital.
The paper reports that David Dimbleby is furious about the resignation of the QT editor Ed Havard, whom he hand-picked to run the show. Havard does not want to relocate to Scotland. “Ed is a brilliant editor, one of the best we’ve ever had,” Dimbleby said.
I’ve got no comment to make about the BBC’s relocation plan but would not this be the ideal opportunity to bring onto the flag-ship programme the person regarded by many as the sharpest political interviewer in the UK – Andrew Neil.
The former Sunday Times editor has a depth of understanding and knowledge of contemporary politics and all its nuances that is unequalled and would be the ideal man for the job. As a bonus he hails from Glasgow.
David Dimbleby, 72, has been doing the job since 1994 and deserves a well-earned retirement.