Dimbleby threatens to quit 'Question Time'

David Dimbleby has threatened to resign as chairman of Question Time in a dispute over plans to move production to Glasgow.

The veteran presenter is among several members of the show's team who are infuriated by the move away from London. Ed Harvard, the editor of the flagship BBC programme, has already resigned over the planned move.

Mr Dimbleby, who has hosted the show for 17 years, was reported last night to have threatened his own resignation and senior BBC executives were trying to persuade him to stay.

The current affairs programme itself is broadcast live from locations across the country but its production base is in London. Under a scheme designed to ensure the BBC is less London-centric, Question Time staff have been told they must switch to a new base in Glasgow.

The BBC refused to comment on the issue but a senior source was quoted by a newspaper as saying: "Things are in crisis and there is a frenetic amount of activity at the most senior levels of the BBC to try and keep him happy. Things have come to a head. He is not happy."