Eddie Izzard and Nigel Farage told to 'shut up' during tense BBC's Question Time debate

Ongoing squabbles between the outspoken pair made the programme close to unwatchable

The Labour Party brought Eddie Izzard into their campaign with the hope of energising young people and, in their defence, it at least wasn’t one of them who shouted an exasperated ‘Shut up!’ from out of the Question Time audience as his ongoing private squabbles with Nigel Farage made the programme close to unwatchable.

Izzard was first shouted down by a man in the crowd as he spoke over the Ukip leader - then a woman repeated the sentiment as Farage tried to interrupt Hilary Benn, the Shadow Foreign Secretary.

As the host, David Dimbleby, tried to move the debate on, Izzard, 54, continually harangued Farage, 52, who was conveniently placed to his immediate right, over his ‘immigrant family.’

"You won’t explain to me why you, an immigrant family, are so anti-immigration,” he said. "Everyone here would like to hear - the whole of the country would like to hear."

Nigel Farage has a German wife who is paid from the EU budget to work as his political secretary.

“I think we should make you change seats if you go on like this,” David Dimbleby said, before the rather more brisk interjection from the member of the audience in Folkestone, Kent.

Eventually, the pair were told by Mr Dimbleby: "Calm down because the audience will get so cross they'll walk out. They'll do a Brexit!"

To which Mr Benn added: "There's a bit of a problem controlling the panel this week..."