BBC producer Barbara Maxwell has died at the age of 81

Barbara Maxwell grew up in Norwich and was born in Gloucester on June 13, 1943. Her parents were doctors and she attended both Norwich High School and Millfield.

Barbara Maxwell went on to study English Literature at Queen’s University Belfast and joined the BBC in the 1960s as a secretary but it wasn’t long before she started producing current affairs programmes. From 1979, she worked on Question Time.

According to The Telegraph, “She was asked to create the show as a vehicle to harness the considerable talents of Robin Day– but their relationship was often tempestuous. He opposed her aim to have at least one female guest on the panel – at a time when there were far fewer women in high-profile positions – believing that only heavyweights deserved to appear. Barbara Maxwell’s five-strong production team was notably all-women, though this was coincidental and not of her doing.”

Fiona Bruce paid tribute to Barbara Maxwell on BBC’s Question Time on January 16, 2025 and said: “Thank you for joining us tonight. The Question Time team sends our since condolences to the family & friends of legendary founding editor Barbara Maxwell, who has died.”

Fiona Bruce then shared a photograph of Barbara Maxwell with her all female production team and Robin Day and also said: “We send our condolences to Barbara’s family and friends.”

When the first Question Time aired in 1979 , the guests were the Conservative MP Teddy Taylor, Michael Foot, soon to be Labour leader, Drek Worlock, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Liverpool and novelist Edna O’Brien.