David Dimbleby receives standing ovation as he hosts final Question Time

Panellists Jo Brand and David Davis joined in with the audience to bid farewell to the host after 25 years

David Dimbleby on Question Time

Published: Friday, 14 December 2018 at 10:49 am

David Dimbleby bid farewell to Question Time on Thursday night after 25 years as host, but not before receiving a standing ovation from the audience and panellists.

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"This programme marks the end of my tenure of the chair," he said as the programme came to a close, but before he could continue guests David Davis and Jo Brand got to their feet to applaud him, quickly followed by the Question Time audience.

Dimbleby appeared humbled by the response but was keen to pay tribute to the team behind the show.

"Thank you very much, I just wanted to add some words to that," he said. "After a quarter of a century I'm off to new pastures, or at least in search of new pastures.

"But I didn't want to end without saying something about this programme which, it is, of all the programmes I've ever worked on at the BBC, a truly team effort, and I did want to end by thanking the people who've made it possible over the years – the editors, the producers, the researchers, our technical back-up...

"Above all I wanted to thank you here tonight, this audience. You're joining over 100,000 people in the last 25 years who've been in the Question Time audience, and you've exercised this, what I think is a really important democratic right to put questions to the panel and to argue with each other as you have been tonight.

"From me a happy Christmas, and not goodbye, but goodnight."

Watch his farewell below.

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BBC News presenter Fiona Bruce will replace Dimbleby on Question Time when it returns in the new year.

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Question Time will return to BBC1 on Thursday 10th January

Authors

Ben AllenOn Demand Writer, RadioTimes.com

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