Panel of well-known personalities announced to appear with Patrick Kielty in BBC Two’s debatable

Debatable is a brand new daily quiz show for BBC Two Early-Peak, hosted by Patrick Kielty. Every day a panel of three well-known personalities must use their knowledge and debating skills to try and help a contestant win money.

Published: 27 July 2016
I laughed a lot making this show - at the random stuff our famous debaters know. And the stuff that they really don’t!
— Patrick Kielty

Contestants are given a tricky question, but before they answer they get to hear the panel debate the facts. Will their answers be insightful or ridiculous? That's Debatable.

The full list of debaters appearing across the series:

• Rapper and poet Akala
• TV personality Christopher Biggins
• TV presenter Jennie Bond
• Former Newsreader Michael Buerk
• TV presenter Angellica Bell
• Comedian Susan Calman
• Actor and comedian Liz Carr
• TV presenter Rick Edwards
• Actor Nigel Havers
• TV presenter Konnie Huq
• Columnist Rachel Johnson
• TV presenter Gethin Jones
• Dragons’ Den Dragon Peter Jones
• Comedian Russell Kane
• Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood
• Radio 1’s Alice Levine
• Broadcaster Angela Rippon
• Actor Sunetra Sarker
• Broadcaster June Sarpong
• Cricketer and TV presenter Phil Tufnell
• BBC Sport and Breakfast presenter Dan Walker
• Former MP Ann Widdecombe

The debaters come from varied backgrounds and they’ve all got something different to say. They will all want to entertain, but in the end they need to help the contestant win.

Will the debates be useful? Will the debaters agree with each other? Will they argue over the answer? Will they surprise everyone with their extensive wit and wisdom? Well, that’s Debatable.

This is the quiz show where debates can win or lose you money. The contestant does not have to stick with the debaters’ answer, they may choose to ignore them completely and dismiss what they say, but they must try and get the question right to win.

They will face questions that will test their knowledge of the world...and each other. Will Ann Widdecombe see eye-to-eye with Russell Kane? Will Carol Kirkwood and Rick Edwards weather a stormy debate? Who is cleverer - Nigel Havers or June Sarpong? Debatable is the only place you’ll find out.

Debatable will broadcast in the early evening on BBC Two and starts later this summer.

Host Patrick Kielty said: “I laughed a lot making this show - at the random stuff our famous debaters know. And the stuff that they really don’t. It’s been great fun watching our players work out the answers with the help of our debaters. And pretending that I knew the right answers all along…”

Dan Baldwin, Managing Director of Hungry Bear Media who make the programme, said: “Debatable is a brilliant new quiz with funny bones. I can’t tell you how comical, terrifying and at times extremely informative it is to watch three celebrities argue, bicker, make-up and then argue again over what is the correct answer to a question. Debatable is a highly entertaining quiz with some genuine ‘take home’ for the viewer”.

Dan McGolpin, Controller of BBC Daytime and Early-Peak said: “BBC Two viewers are going to be intrigued by the perplexing questions and entertained by the conflicting answers in this exciting new panel-show for Early-Peak. We’ll all end up more knowledgeable by the end of the show.”

Debatable is made by Hungry Bear Media and was commissioned for BBC Two by Dan McGolpin BBC Controller of Daytime and Early-Peak and Alex McLeod, Commissioning Editor. It is series produced by Jayne Stanger and executive produced by Dan Baldwin for Hungry Bear Media.

Notes to Editors

- 20 x 30’ and 5x45’
- Debatable will air on BBC Two from later on this summer

GK