THE British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)'s flagship political debate series Question Time is scheduled to broadcast a special programme from Shanghai on March 10.

This event signals a "breakthrough? according to Tong Bing, a well-known Chinese media analyst, as this is the first time such a programme produced by a mainstream Western media company has been allowed to film in China.

The edition will be shown on television in the UK and will also be available to view in China and around world on BBC's webpage specially-dedicated to the programme.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao, Secretary-General of the Bo'ao Forum for Asia Long Yongtu, former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten, Hong Kong designer and businessman David Tang and British broadcaster and writer Isabel Hilton will serve on a panel, answering questions before a live studio audience, Question Time has confirmed.

The studio audience, made up of English-speaking Shanghai residents and visitors, will put to the panel any questions they like on the most important political issues affecting China and its relations with the UK and the rest of the world.

"This is a programme for the British audience. It is not intended for audiences here in China, so I would like the questions to be ones that a British audience would be interested in,?said David Dimbleby, the host of the programme.

He cited for instance China's future in the development of the world economy, the Olympic Games and the one-child policy.

"I don't think they (a British audience) will be so interested in specific things about, you know, the constitutional legislation about Taiwan, or something like that because they tend to want things where they know instinctively what is being talked about. I can't have a question where I have to do lots of explaining,?Dimbleby said.

Despite his speculation, Dimbleby stressed he had no idea what questions would be raised on the show as they would all come spontaneously from the studio audience.

For Dimbleby, the audience engagement would be the final judgment on the show.

"I think what people will be watching for is to see whether the audience shares engagement with the panel in the same way as they do in Britain or in the same style. Our technique is to have the audience question and keep questioning the panel. They don't just put a question and then sit back and relax,?he said.

English-speaking audiences were being sought around Shanghai in the weeks leading to the event. Response has been warm and applications to join the studio audience were received from outside the city.

The number of applications and the profiles of the applicants were kept confidential, in line with the programme's rules. However, the audience were carefully selected to reflect the broadest range of opinions possible. Foreigners with Chinese background or China ties will make up a quarter of the audience.

The deal

The Chinese edition has been given the go-ahead by the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office (SHFAO).

"They agreed in a very handsome way to let us do it,?said Ric Bailey, the BBC's deputy head of political programmes and executive producer of Question Time.

He confirmed that neither SHFAO nor any other government body in China will interfere with the final cut of the edition, which will be edited before broadcasting for purely technical reasons and not for content.

"We were very clear with them (SHFAO) about what we wanted to do, letting them know we cannot compromise on how we do the programme because people in the UK watching it have to believe that it is a credible programme,?Bailey said.

"My sense was that the government wanted to get its view across hence they have put their official spokesman on the panel,?he added.

The special edition of Question Time is part of the BBC's China Week, in which BBC staff will be reporting from many different parts of the country with live programmes, discussions and insights into what life in China in 2005 is really like.

"China is changing fast and opening up, so this week of special output gives us a chance to reflect on what's happening and what it means for the world,?Adrian Van Klaveren, deputy director of BBC News was quoted by Xinhua as saying. "It should be a memorable week's programming for anyone who wants to understand China better.?

Being the only programme that came to China for the week, Question Time's experience could lead to future BBC activities in China, Bailey indicated.

Commendable step

Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao was one of the first Chinese-language media to report the event. It is seen as a forerunner of political debate in China, the paper said. Yet China-based media analysts have been more cautious when evaluating the event.

"Firstly, that BBC is allowed to do this does not mean China Central Television or Shanghai Television will be able to emulate it straight away; secondly, the fact that the audience are a selected few from the English-speaking population further limits the impact the programme could have on China,?said Lu Ye, professor of Journalism and Communications at Fudan University and a known media analyst in China.

Nonetheless, it is commendable that such a programme is allowed to film in China regardless of its outcome, she said.

"At least it shows an open approach adopted by the Chinese society and the nation's progress towards media plurality and democracy.?

Tong Bing, also a professor at Fudan University, said the event signals a breakthrough in Chinese Government's approach towards the Western media.

"From dodging the Western media on sensitive issues to directly confronting them in a live television debate programme is a commendable step.

"The event also underpins the irreversible trend towards vigorous debate on social and political issues, which is crucial to the healthy development of the country,?Tong added.