Dimbleby accused of Question Time bullying and bias against Boris

But yesterday Question Time host David Dimbleby was accused of bullying and bias against Boris Johnson after he hosted a debate with the three main London mayoral candidates.

The BBC received a number of complaints that the veteran broadcaster appeared to give the Tory candidate "a harder time" a week before the mayoral poll.

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The row surrounds Mr Dimbleby's decision to end the show on Thursday with a member of the audience attacking Mr Johnson as inept.

The chairman had already put what he said would be the last question to the candidates: "If your campaign could be best summed up by a food, what would that be?"

But then Mr Dimbleby pointed to another questioner, who asked Mr Johnson: "Boris, you seem completely inept at answering questions. Do you have any leadership style whatsoever, or are you just a bit of smoke and mirrors and nothing backing it up?"

Caught off-guard, Mr Johnson responded by accusing Labour's Ken Livingstone of "wastefulness, extravagance" and "rank incompetence".

But he was heckled by LibDem candidate Brian Paddick and cut off abruptly as Mr Dimbleby ended the programme.

Yesterday viewers vented their fury on the BBC messageboard.

"David Dimbleby has been disgraceful tonight in his bullying style. He is not performing the job of a chairman," said Andrew Scott from Glasgow.

Terry Hutchinson from Dundee compared the programme to "horse manure", blasting "Mr anti-Cameron and anti-Tory chairman Dimbleby".

Some contributors left stinging personal remarks about the presenter. Mike Rigby from Blackburn wrote: "David Dimbleby behaved disgracefully towards Boris Johnson tonight; he is becoming a law unto himself, tetchy, arrogant and extremely rude.

"Trying to belittle people is not his job. This was meant to be a debate, not a vehicle for the presenter to show how thoroughly unpleasant he can be."

Stephen Conway from Kidderminster complained that the debate had been "totally ruined by the insulting and biased behaviour of David Dimbleby toward Boris Johnson."

Another frustrated viewer wrote: "Why was Dimbleby just biting into Boris? How about questioning all three equally?"

Supporters of Mr Johnson were said to be privately fuming, but the Henley MP declined to criticise Mr Dimbleby directly.

A spokesman for the BBC said: "Neither David nor the production team is aware in advance of what topic an audience member plans to address when they raise their hand.

"When Boris Johnson faced direct criticism. it was entirely reasonable for the chairman to offer the candidate the chance to respond to it.

"The debate was robust and lively and we are satisfied each candidate was given fair and generous time to make their case."