THE BBC’s flagship Question Time programme has been accused of normalising “extreme and racist views”.

The allegation from the SNP’s Keith Brown comes after show host Fiona Bruce appeared to suggest producers knew that Laurence Fox might spark a race row in his now notorious appearance on the show.

Hundreds of viewers complained to the corporation after the actor’s appearance on the show and his criticism of Meghan Markle.

READ MORE: Who is Laurence Fox and why is he annoying everyone?

As the panel discussed the media coverage of the duchess’s decision to stand down from the royal family, university lecturer Rachel Boyle said from the audience: “Let’s be really clear about what this is, let’s call it by its name – it’s racism. She’s a black woman and she has been torn to pieces.”

“It’s not racism,” Fox responded from the panel, talking over the mixed-race woman. “We’re the most tolerant, lovely country in Europe. It’s so easy to just throw your charge of racism at everybody and it’s starting to get boring now.”

Boyle then described Fox (pictured above) as a “white privileged male”, which led the actor to label her as racist.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Bruce who replaced the veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby last year, said that she was surprised at the “level of toxicity” she felt during the show.

Speaking on the racism row, Bruce said that having controversial guests was part of the debating programme’s “unpredictable” format and that she was briefed on the issues that Fox may bring up on the show.

READ MORE: Question Time in racism row after sharing anti-migrant rant

She told the Radio Times: “I had a briefing about Laurence, and what he might say.

“But the thing about Question Time is that it’s entirely unpredictable, so people will get into arguments.”

She added: “I’m all for passionate debate, and sometimes things can be heated, which is fine, up to a point. As long as we remember that we are human beings,” she said.

“I feel very strongly about that. I hadn’t anticipated that I would spend so much of my time last year saying, ‘we don’t talk to each other like this’.”

Brown (below), who is an MSP and the SNP’s depute leader, said there were questions to be answered.

He told The National: “Extreme and racist views should not be normalised. The BBC must see that if Question Time continues to platform people – on the panel and in the audience – that hold such views and recirculate their comments then debates will get ugly.”

A BBC spokeswoman rubbished the claim: “Fiona is briefed by the team about every panellist ahead of every programme. As Fiona states quite clearly, live debates are unpredictable and it’s impossible to pre-plan where the debate led by our audience will take us.”

READ MORE: What Scotland can learn from the Question Time guest’s bigotry

The show was also involved in further controversy this year for “normalising racism” after sharing a prolonged anti-immigration rant from an audience member on its social media pages.

During the show the woman called for the UK to “completely close the borders” to immigrants and complained about the number of people “flooding in” to the country and using public services.

Following the airing of the episode, the BBC then shared the clip of the rant on Question Time’s social media pages without showing a reply.