The panel gets it right

Question Time is finding new ways to help restore public interest in political debate, its editor tells Louise Jury

When the current series of BBC1's Question Time ended last week, the final programme notched up an audience of 3.1 million, the highest for an ordinary edition in five years.

Nick Pisani, the editor, is chuffed, not least because there is evidence it is not a one-off. The show also scored 3.1 million viewers two weeks earlier (with a more than creditable 27 per cent audience share), and special editions such as the controversial one after the 11 September attacks in the US can reach nearly double that.

Yet this success comes when it is thought that people are no longer interested in politics. After the low turnout at the general election, the BBC has begun an investigation into how it can make news and current affairs more appealing.

Senior BBC figures admit that with public faith in politicians at an all-time low (and confidence in the media no better), they do not know whether it is possible to re-engage interest. Yet Pisani believes Question Time has shown a way. "Question Time has shown how you can adapt and become more relevant. We kept the basic format but brought in new areas of interest for younger viewers without alienating the audience we had."

It is still recognisably the same show as when it began in 1979. But it no longer relies on the formula of three politicians and a fourth worthy from business or a union discussing matters of state. It is also livelier and less dominated by the Westminster agenda, and has added a fifth guest from a wider range of backgrounds, such as the pop star Boy George, the Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, the scientist Steve Jones and the athlete Steve Cram.

Pisani says although the programme was criticised for inviting contributions from people such as the comedian Eddie Izzard, the tactic made sense, and not just because it has boosted ratings from a low of 1.5 million four years ago. "There was a time when Question Time maybe asked too many questions that were of a narrow interest. Now we take broader issues and try to make them more understandable and enjoyable. What counts is people who have opinions and who influence the opinions of the people at home," he says.

"Boy George generated a big response. He was on when Section 28 [prohibiting the 'promotion' of homosexuality by local authorities] was being scrapped in Scotland and we had him on with Brian Souter, the Stagecoach boss [who opposed repeal]. Boy George has first-hand experience of gay rights and brought a very valid set of opinions."

Pisani has a breadth of experience that reflects the new-look Question Time. He was made editor two years ago after a career that included working at Sky with both the blunt-speaking Richard Littlejohn and its political editor Adam Boulton, and he made a range of adventure travel programmes. He thinks this helps: "You bring different points of view and maybe a slightly more populist touch."

Pisani dismisses a suggestion that David Dimbleby is to leave his chair and walk the studio. This was tried several years ago, and Pisani says it is, in fact, easier to bring guests and audience into the debate from where Dimbleby sits.

But there will be innovations. Remote cameras will be introduced to widen the range of shots. The recent policy of visiting a wider range of towns and cities will continue. Three years ago, there were six outside broadcasts in a series; this year there were 14.

Pisani believes the show can still make waves, as it did when Arthur Scargill and Michael Heseltine went head to head during the miners' strike. He cites Frank Dobson's "Go on, make my day" challenge to Ken Livingstone to run for London mayor as an example. A floundering performance by the First Minister of Scotland, Henry McLeish, may have contributed to his downfall. "I think the level of discussion is better than ever," Pisani says. "We've changed, but there's nothing dumbed down about it."