At the heart of the matter was the BBC's public broadcasting mandate, requiring it to give equal prominence to political parties above a given level of electoral representation.

Question Time is the most prominent programme of its kind on British television, and we carefully study the support gained in elections by each of the parties, large and small, before deciding who to invite and how frequently they should appear.

[15] A late attempt to stop the programme came from the Labour Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain, who accused the BBC of being "apologists" for the BNP and making "one of the biggest mistakes in its proud history".

[5] The BNP's constitution restricting membership of the party to "indigenous Caucasian" people, namely "indigenous British ethnic groups" including the "Anglo-Saxon folk community" and the "Celtic Scottish folk community" was declared illegal on 15 October 2009 under the Race Relations Act, after a challenge by the Equality and Human Rights Commission,[16] and Hain argued that the appearance might be illegal in light of the ruling.

[5] On the night of Tuesday 20 October, the Trust announced it was forming an emergency committee, comprising three trustees chaired by Richard Tait, to examine the appeals.

We have written to the Director-General asking him to engage personally to ensure that the broadcast programme complies with the general law, the BBC's editorial guidelines and all other regulatory requirements.

[17] In an e-mail to BNP supporters, Griffin said "Never before have we had the chance to present our patriotic, common sense solutions to Britain's nightmare situation to the public at large in such prominent fashion ...

I am relishing this opportunity, and I know that ... the ordinary members, supporters and voters of the BNP will be in the studio with me as I take on the corrupt, treacherous swine destroying our beautiful island nation.

[17][dead link‍] However, he also stated in a letter on the BNP website: "I will, no doubt, be interrupted, shouted down, slandered, put on the spot, and subjected to a scrutiny that would be a thousand times more intense than anything directed at other panellists.

"[14] Griffin said of his fellow Question Time panellists before the show that Bonnie Greer was "the joker in the pack... [who]... knows how to look after herself and may be more of a handful than the others", that Menzies Campbell "would have been more daunting" than Chris Huhne, that Jack Straw is "a very effective advocate".

[22] The Liberal Democrat panel member Chris Huhne decided in consultation with his party leader Nick Clegg that, given the BBC's decision to invite Griffin, he had no choice but to attend.

"[23] On the day of the programme, the former Labour Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said that the BBC would "bear moral responsibility" for any rise in racist attacks in Britain.

[24] Ten MPs signed an early day motion tabled by the Labour MP Mike Gapes[25] which called the BBC decision "profoundly wrong" and noted that "no previous BBC Director General made such a judgement and that neither Martin Webster, who polled 16 per cent of the vote in the West Bromwich by-election in 1973, John Tyndall, Colin Jordan or Oswald Mosley were treated in the same way".

He said that the far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen's appearance on a similar programme in France saw support for his Front national party "double overnight".

[11] Professor Ted Cantle, commissioned by the Government to investigate the 2001 Oldham riots, urged a "more sophisticated approach" using reasoned arguments, to defeat the far right.

[28] On 21 October, Iain Martin wrote in a The Wall Street Journal blog that the appearance on Question Time signalled that the mainstream political parties in Britain had "badly let down their fellow Britons...by setting narrow terms for the national debate which exclude the concerns of millions of voters and force them out on to the fringes".

[31] Richard Preston, blogging for The Daily Telegraph, compared the importance of Griffin's appearance with past infrequent Question Time panellists such as comedians Eddie Izzard, Norman Pace and Jim Davidson, while also expressing confidence that the hour-long show and David Dimbleby would provide enough scrutiny to expose Griffin if he was a "lightweight" or a "bluffer";[9] he suggested that "Britain truly does have problems" if a trio of mainstream politicians did not manage to take him apart.

[32] The audience was expected by The Times to number 200 people and to comprise a broad spectrum of political views, including BNP supporters and left-wing groups.

[15] The recording of the edition of 22 October was brought forward two hours from the usual 8.30 pm start time to allow for any disruption, before being broadcast later the same night.

[24] Amid concern over the safety of residents, Hammersmith and Fulham council asked for clarification of the BBC's security arrangements, and pushed for an alternative location.

[38] By 4.30 pm (BST) police estimated there were 500 chanting protesters; around 25 people who reached the main entrance of Television Centre after breaking through a cordon were expelled.

[32] After this breach, stand-by officers reinforced the police cordon and protesters moved to block Wood Lane, hoping to prevent Griffin entering the studios.

[41] Five debate topics were initiated from audience questions during the programme: the BNP's campaign symbols, Islam, immigration policy, Jan Moir and finally, the show itself.

[17][dead link‍] Speaking to the Associated Press, Griffin stated that his appearance had secured the BNP's place on the national stage, and while not revolutionary, was like gaining a kind of "Boy Scout's badge".

"[51] Describing the experience as a "lynch mob", he complained how the choice of London had made it hostile territory for him, and had prevented him from speaking on then-current events such as the postal strikes.

[53] The BNP also claimed that it had received thousands of pounds in donations,[51] and that 3,000 people had expressed an interest on their website in joining the party once their recruitment freeze was lifted.

Pfeffer compared and contrasted this with Israeli freedom-of-speech laws, and questioned whether Hitler could have risen to power in modern times given the media's scrutiny of democratic politicians.

Klare, the son of Indian parents who migrated to Britain in the 1960s, had suggested collecting money for Griffin to be deported to the South Pole, as "it's a colourless landscape that will suit you fine".

[76] The BBC was subjected to criticism from some of its own staff, as Radio 4 broadcaster Sue MacGregor said that the show "gave the impression of attack dogs against Nick Griffin", and another presenter called it a "bear pit".

[51] On 28 October, Mark Thompson stated before the House of Lords communications committee that future BNP appearances on Question Time would "probably be no more than once a year and could be less", based on the party continuing the same levels of support.