Revealed: Question Time audience member Fiona Bruce described as ‘black guy’ breaks silence and says host called him to apologise… but he still wants to know WHY BBC deleted clip

The man in the Question Time audience who Fiona Bruce referred to as ‘the black guy’ has come forward – and he still wants to know why the broadcaster deleted the clip.

On Thursday night’s broadcast of the show on BBC One, the presenter asked Roberto Gocan, 35, from the audience to ask the panel the question – but her racial description was edited when it was uploaded to iPlayer.

Gocan has now revealed that the subdued presenter called her personally to apologize – after she and the BBC apologized publicly. for causing offense as she said it was ‘wrong to identify him as me’.

She called him at 10:50 a.m. on Friday after the fight broke out.

Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “I won’t say too much about the conversation we had. But she called me personally and I appreciate her for that.’

During the live broadcast, there did not appear to be an immediate reaction to her comment from the man in question or anyone else in the audience. However, the comments drew outrage from some on social media.

On Facebook, Mr. Gocan himself asked why the clip had been deleted. He wrote: ‘Dear BBC, why did you cut off Fiona Bruce saying “the black guy in the middle” on BBC One’s BBC Question Time show last night?

“It was audible on the BBC iPlayer live show. Why edit it if you don’t think she said anything wrong?

Honestly, The Boy in the T-shirt.

Mr Roberto said the situation ‘took him back’ because he did not expect it.

He added: “I remember thinking at the time that everyone else was defined by what they were wearing, the glasses and the clothes. But then everything went on so fast.’

“I remember talking to a family member later in the evening about the show and saying I was going to watch it again to check I heard it right. But that part was edited out of the show,” he said.

Former Attorney General Nazir Afzal posted the original clip on X, sometime on Twitter, writing: ‘Let’s hear from the ‘black guy’.

She had asked the audience in Wolverhampton: ‘Is it right to ban mobile phones in schools?’

The BBC presenter, whose arm was in a sling after falling from her horse, asked a question wearing a “colorful top” and when asked for input from another audience member pointed to a “boy over there in the middle. .. the black boy. in the middle, what about you, sir.

No one in the studio responded to the comment, and the audience member then asked a question about restricting cell phone use in schools, as well as government funding.

In the version of the program uploaded to BBC iPlayer, Bruce says, ‘the boy in the middle, what about you, sir’, with the description ‘black boy’ removed.

The BBC has confirmed that Ms Bruce’s comment was edited and she has since apologized directly to the audience member. The presenter said: ‘I fully understand why my words last night caused offense and I apologise.

“I spoke directly to the audience member and explained that I can usually see and describe an outfit or otherwise to help sound engineers with microphones find people in the audience.

“Last night it wasn’t like that as my vision was dark. In the second I had, the easiest thing to do would have been to ignore the audience member and move on, but I felt strongly that his voice needed to be heard.

“However, I think it was wrong to identify him as me and that’s why it was removed from the edited program later.”

Ms Bruce’s personal inquiry into the audience member is understood to have been well received.

A BBC spokesman said: “We regret the choice of words used to identify the audience member.

“The intention was to ensure his voice was heard, however we realize we should not have identified him in this way and apologize for any offense caused.

‘As such, the recorded version on iPlayer has been modified to remove this.’

Sitting on the panel at last night’s Question Time were Transport Minister Richard Holden, Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth, writer Emma Dabiri, Iceland supermarket executive Richard Walker and journalist and author Tony Parsons.