Question Time tonight: who are the guests this week and what time is BBC show on?

Question Time will return tonight and the panel will have no shortage of topics to debate.

The BBC series is filming in Winchester on Thursday (15 December). It comes as thousands of nurses walked out in strike action across the country.

Fiona Bruce will host the episode, joined by a panel of guests including the chief executive of the Royal Collage of Nursing as well as Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs. The debate show has been running since 1979.

If you are tuning in or what to know how you can watch the show, here is all you need to know:

Who are the guests on Question Time?

BBC has confirmed the full panel for the Question Time episode on Thursday (December 15). Joining host Fiona Bruce in Winchester will be:

• Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative MP)
• Shabana Mahmood (Labour MP, Labour Party National Campaign Coordinator)
• Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat MP, deputy leader of the Lib Dems)
• Pat Cullen (General Secretary & Chief Executive of Royal Collage of Nursing)
• Peter Hitchens (author, broadcaster and journalist)

Why are nurses on strike?

Thousands of nurses began a 12-hour strike on Thursday (15 December) over pay disupte. Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking part in the industrial action.

The strike is the biggest by nurses in the history of the NHS, involving around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England alongside all trusts in Northern Ireland and all but one health board in Wales. NHS will be running a bank holiday-style service in many areas, though the RCN has said it will still staff chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care.

Some areas of mental health and learning disability and autism services are also exempt, while trusts have been told they can request staffing for specific clinical needs. When it comes to adult A&E and urgent care, nurses will work Christmas Day-style rotas.

RCN chief executive Pat Cullen has accused Health Secretary Steve Barclay of “belligerence” after he refused to discuss the issue of pay. He has said the government is sticking to the recommendations of the independent pay review body, which said nurses should get a pay rise of around £1,400. The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer.

What time is Question Time and how to watch?

Question Time will air on BBC One on Thursday (15 December). It airs on the prime BBC channel on a weekly basis. The latest episode will begin at 10.40pm and will last until 11.40pm. It will also be available for catch-up on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

It is the last Question Time episode scheduled before Christmas. Radio Times TV schedule does not show an episode of the BBC series as part of the guide for 22 December.

What is Question Time?

The BBC programme is a topical debate show, in which guests from political parties and other sectors join a panel and discuss the pressing issues each week. Question Time has been running from 1979, it was hosted by David Dimbleby between 1994 and 2018, he was succeeded by Fiona Bruce.