The BBC congratulated itself today on having secured record ratings for its flagship political panel programme Question Time with an appearance by the British National Party leader Nick Griffin.

More than eight million people tuned in to watch Mr Griffin receive a mauling from his fellow panellists and the studio audience at Television Centre in West London.

That figure was the highest in the 30-year history of the programme — which normally attracts two to three million viewers — and meant that the show edged out the Saturday night, celebrity talent contest Strictly Come Dancing in the week’s ratings successes.

The BBC claimed that it represented a vindication of its controversial decision to invite Mr Griffin onto the show, despite protests from ministers that to do so would only serve to publicise the BNP’s racist views.

Mark Byford, the BBC’s Deputy Director-General, rejected those criticisms today and said that the ratings spoke for themselves.

“Over eight million people watched Question Time last night. This very large audience clearly demonstrates the public’s interest in seeing elected politicians being scrutinised by the public themselves,” Mr Byford said in a statement.

“The agenda of the programme was set by the audience’s own questions. The BBC is firm in its belief that it was appropriate for Mr Griffin to appear as a member of the panel and the BBC fulfilled its duty to uphold due impartiality by inviting him on the programme.”

The corporation said that 243 viewers had complained that the programme was biased against Mr Griffin and 114 had complained about the decision to invite him. It had also received 59 messages of congratulations from viewers.

The main complaint appeared to be that the programme had become exactly what Mr Dimblebly said that he wanted to avoid: the Nick Griffin show.

Of the five questions put to the panel, four related directly to the BNP. The fifth was about a controversial Daily Mail column on the death of the Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, which led Mr Griffin to describe gay people as “creepy”.

Among those criticising the BBC today was Diane Abbott, the country’s first black, woman MP. She accused the corporation of having handed Mr Griffin the kind of “victim” status that he craves.

“It’s all very well in the morning to say, ‘Oh well, he got smashed’ but in the long run people who are attracted to the BNP will come away saying, ‘he was a victim’,” she said. “When you put the BNP into the mainstream like that they drag people onto their agenda. Everyone is talking about Nick Griffin.

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