Griffin slams BBC show 'lynch mob'

After his performance was widely panned in the press, he denounced the "unfairness" of the way the programme was produced and called on the BBC to give him a second chance to appear, talking about the issue of the day.

"The British public are aghast at the display of bias from the BBC, the venom form the political class, and the sheer unfairness," he told a news conference. "That was not a genuine Question Time, that was a lynch mob."

More than eight million people tuned in to watch Mr Griffin on the programme - around three times the usual number of viewers and just over half of the potential audience.

The corporation said that average viewing figures for the programme are between two and three million - meaning three to four times more viewers tuned in than usual.

Mark Byford, deputy director general of the BBC, said: "Over eight million people watched Question Time last night. This very large audience clearly demonstrates the public's interest in seeing elected politicians being scrutinised by the public themselves. The agenda of the programme was set by the audience's own questions.

"The BBC is firm in its belief that it was appropriate for Mr Griffin to appear as a member of the panel and the BBC fulfilled its duty to uphold due impartiality by inviting him on the programme."

Media regulator Ofcom said it is considering several complaints about the programme. A spokesman said: "A small number of complaints are being assessed against the Broadcasting Code."

Mr Griffin said that the BBC had deliberately changed the format of the programme to concentrate on him and his policies. He said that the party was now making a formal complaint to the BBC over the way in which the programme had been "twisted".

He also said that he wanted to challenge Justice Secretary Jack Straw to a one-on-one debate on the issues of the day.