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WATCH: Christopher Hope weighs in on BBC's 'strange' Question Time attack on Zia Yusuf
Dec 5, 2025
The BBC has been criticised for its "ambush" of Zia Yusuf during their latest broadcast of Question Time after he was told just "minutes before" that the audience would contain illegal migrants.Analysing the episode on GB News, Christopher Hope said there was "no wonder" Mr Yusuf was upset by the events of the show.FULL STORY HERE.
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Look, in terms of question time last night, I mean, look, agreement from Kevin Hollin right there
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It was a very strange thing to do from the BBC, wasn't it
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Yes, I'm trying to get to the bottom of this. I was in bed last night, so if you're not watching question time last night
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I'm trying to understand why on earth they had actual asylum seekers in the audience. Now, question time goes around the country, like we do
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Merthyr Tiffel yesterday for GB News. Yeah. They were in Dover last night. We go trying to find what people think about where they live
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But to bring in people who arrive by a small boat to ask questions of as many as Zia Yusuf
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because the other panellists were broadly supportive, I imagine, of what was being said there. It does seem strange
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And Zia Yusuf was on GB News last night saying he felt it was like he was in the Truman Show
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It was a political discussion. He sat there thinking, is this really happening? What I need to find out from Zia Yusuf is, was he told about this or was it an ambush
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So if you warned about it it a different programme to the normal question time programme But he clearly felt shocked and surprised Yeah I mean it would seem to be this and from what he said as well last night he was asked you know would you deport this man
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if you were in power, to which he said yes, of which there was apparently a gasp from the audience
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So Zeeb Yusuf has just been texting me while I'm on air. All right. He was told by Fiona Bruce, just before he went on air
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they had brought some small boat migrants to put in the audience. Now, you know how TV works. They plan these things weeks out or days out, certainly days out for a weekly show
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I'm surprised it was just before he went on. That sounds like an ambush to me. And no wonder he's so upset about it
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All right. Well, we've got a little clip of him talking to GB News last night. Let's have a listen
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Two illegal migrants had come originally by small boat. As you can see, the BBC were very open about that
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How on earth it can be deemed appropriate that people who broke into this country illegally should have a seat at the table in a political discussion about immigration about illegal immigration on a BBC immigration special is so bewildering That the use of speaking to GB News On the issue of Question Time a BBC spokesperson has
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told us this. As immigration continues to be a primary concern for people in the UK
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Question Time held a special episode in Dover with panellists from across the political spectrum
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and a local audience with a range of views and experiences. Over 20 audience members asked
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questions and contributed to the debate, including two people with direct experience of the asylum
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system in the UK who have been granted refugee status. What do you make of that
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Well, I just wonder why he was told just before he went on air, if that was the programme
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I think tell the person who they're targeting, they're targeting a reform UK politician with
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the real experience of an asylum seeker. Clearly, Zia Yousaf was upset and shocked. He sat in his
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car on the way home. He says, I'm on a fictional TV film called The Truman Show. There was a lot
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of pressure on Reform UK at the moment You saw the row yesterday between the BBC reporter and Nigel Farage on the front page of the Daily Mail there The row about it ain half hot mum double standards
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I think Nigel Farage is finally finding his voice about these claims of being bullied, of bullying
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others, Jewish boys at school 20 years ago. It was a different
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world then. It ain't half hot mum was on TV, black and white ministrals, Bernard Manning
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a different context. And I think he's reshaping his defence rather than attacking the people
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saying they were bullied. I should say on my podcast, I need to be Chris Green
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a new defector from the Tory party to reform UK. He had this to say about Nigel Farage becoming prime minister
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And what odds would you give Nigel Farage on becoming the next prime minister
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I'll probably give evens at the moment, but it's a lot to fight for
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There's a lot of work to do. That's online now. So 50-50 chance
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And he is someone who wasn't approached by Farage. He went to the Tory party conference and they thought
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I'm off to Reform UK. He wasn't offered jobs. He's simply gone to Reform UK
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former Tory MP for West Bolton 2015-2024
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