Fiona Bruce became the first female presenter to be part of the BBC general election results programme. In 2006, following a court case whereby British Airways requested that a Christian employee conceal her cross because it infringed the airline's dress code, the BBC disclosed it had some concerns over the fact that Fiona Bruce often wore a cross necklace although she was not banned from doing so. In December 2018 it was confirmed that Bruce would become the new host of "Question Time," following the departure of long-time host David Dimbleby. Her first appearance was scheduled for 10 January 2019, the debut
Question Time British National Party controversy watched by over 8 million people, the highest in the 30-year history of "Question Time", and nearly triple the programme's normal audience of two to three million. In terms of share of audience, the broadcast represented over 50% of the total audience share on the night, surpassing the previous record of 30% achieved on the same 14 May 2009 show. The Griffin edition squeezed the audience of "Newsnight" (BBC Two) to 300,000 viewers compared to its normal 700,000 to 1 million, while a repeat showing of "Piers Morgan's Life Stories" on ITV1 attracted 700,000 viewers, a 5% share. "The Times"