Fiona Bruce has come under fire after she made a blunder on BBC Question Time over an audience member who was wearing glasses.
The moment came as the presenter chose the woman to contribute to a debate on last night’s show.
Bruce commented that the audience member was wearing “sunglasses” before making a quip about the brightness of the studio lights.
She said: “Yes at the very back, there are two people. You’ve got sunglasses on I can see. I know these lights are bright, I didn’t know they were that bright! But anyway off you go.”
But the audience member replied: “I promise I have a licence to wear these. They’re not sunglasses.”
Ms Bruce said: “Oh forgive me, forgive me.”
The host has been criticised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People for her comments.
In a post on social media platform X, the charity said: “Moments like this are why it’s vital to educate everyone, especially those with platforms like BBC Question Time, that sight is a spectrum.
“People with the same eye condition can have different experiences. For some, wearing eye shields might be due to sensitivity to light.”
The panel in Croydon had been debating whether people should “have the right to express their opinion even if others find it unpalatable”.
The audience member said people “have to be able to say” if a comment is Islamophobic.
She was referring to a row over comments made by Ashfield MP Lee Anderson that “Islamists” had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan which saw him lose the Tory whip.
The BBC was contacted for comment.
