Thomas Skinner doubles down on claim he was paid £2,000 for BBC’s Question Time appearance

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Thomas Skinner insists he received £2,000 for being on the popular BBC show Question Time, reaffirming his previous statements about payment.

I was on BBC’s Question Time last night with Fiona Bruce, and it was a really interesting discussion! We had a great panel – including the Justice Minister, a former Security Minister, and Layla Moran from the Liberal Democrats – and we tackled some of the biggest issues happening right now. It’s always fascinating to hear different perspectives and share my own.

The TV star, previously seen on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2025, participated in the debate while it was filmed in Clacton-on-Sea.

Okay, so there’s been a bit of a buzz about how much people get paid on this show. Apparently, one guest claimed he earned a cool £2,000 for his appearance! However, sources at the BBC are saying that the usual rate for panelists is around £150. It’s always interesting to see how these things actually work, isn’t it?

In a recent statement to The Sun, Thomas explained that he was told by his management he would receive £2,000 simply for attending.

He continued: ‘I’m a big fan of Question Time and really enjoyed being part of the show.

I also see this as my work, and with three children to support, I need to approach these chances like any other job.

DailyMail has contacted the BBC for comment.  

This follows Thomas’s confession that his primary reason for being on the show was the money.

He explained on X that he wasn’t attending as a representative of any political group, but simply because he was paid £2,000 for it and enjoys watching Question Time.

People have asked me to participate in this for the past four or five years, probably around nine or ten times. I finally decided to try it, and I ended up really enjoying the experience.

The BBC quickly refuted the claims, explaining through a spokesperson that Question Time pays non-politician panelists a fee of £150, as reported by The Sun.

I was really surprised to see what happened after Thomas and Fiona, our host who’s 61, started disagreeing. It all came up when the panel was discussing how addictive social media can be earlier this week.

This week, a court held both Meta and Google responsible for a woman’s social media addiction and required them to pay her $3 million (about £2.2 million) in compensation.

Thomas, a TikTok creator with over half a million followers who often posts videos of his daily life – like having breakfast at his favorite café – recently spoke out about the potential harms of social media for young people.

The media personality acknowledged earning money through platforms like Instagram and TikTok, but emphasized that his main goal is to share positivity and kindness.

Fiona directly challenged him about his own social media habits, implying he contributed to the issues young people experience with these platforms.

She pointed out that I benefit financially from social media, and my ability to earn money is partly due to the addictive algorithms that help people discover my content.

Honestly, it’s like, this whole thing gave me a voice, and I’ve even gotten some amazing work because of it! But, and it pains me to say this, I think… I think we, as fans, are actually making things worse. It’s hard to admit, but it feels true.

Fiona, the show’s host since 2019, questioned the inconsistency of criticizing excessive consumption while simultaneously profiting from it, asking, ‘How can you tell people to consume less, yet still benefit when they do?’

Thomas strongly stated that it’s harmful when people spend all day on their phones, adding that he’s personally witnessed the negative effects.

I’ve been there – even when I know I need to wake up early, I sometimes find myself mindlessly scrolling through silly things online for hours.

He explained that his videos usually feature him at Deano’s Cafe in Spitalfields Market, where he greets viewers with a cheerful “Good morning!” and quickly shows off his breakfast before saying “bosh.”

Every situation has its right moment, and when it comes to kids, parents can set reasonable limits. For example, you could say, “You can use it for an hour each evening,” or whatever timeframe works best for your family.

Other members of the panel came to Thomas’s defense, with one explaining that his videos aren’t a major cause of the algorithm promoting harmful content online.

Layla added that the people causing problems are those who spread hate, deliberately create division, and share false information to provoke others.

We need to acknowledge that this situation is damaging our society, eroding trust, and causing people to question everything they see and hear – even from reliable sources like the BBC.

‘We’ve got to now get to a point where these companies are held to account.’

This follows a ruling that found Meta and Google responsible for a woman’s social media addiction, and they’ve been ordered to pay her £2.2 million.

In a unique case, a 20-year-old named Kaley is suing several major tech companies, claiming they intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive.

Kaley began watching YouTube videos when she was just six years old, using her iPod Touch to find content about makeup and online games. A few years later, at age nine, she found a way around her mother’s restrictions and joined Instagram.

Following nine days of discussions totaling over 40 hours, a California jury concluded that the tech companies had been careless in how they designed or managed their platforms.

The jury found that both companies played a significant role in harming Kaley. She claimed that using social media as a child led to an addiction and worsened her mental health problems.

The jury determined that both companies were aware, or should have been aware, that their services could harm children. They also found that the companies didn’t properly warn users about these risks, and that a responsible platform would have taken steps to do so.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following this case closely, and the jury’s decision is significant. They found Meta primarily responsible for the harm suffered, assigning them 70% of the $3 million awarded – that’s around $2.1 million. YouTube was held accountable for the remaining 30%, totaling about $900,000. It really highlights the responsibilities these platforms have when it comes to user safety.

After TikTok and Snap reached settlements before the trial, Meta (Facebook’s parent company) and YouTube, owned by Google, were the only two companies left defending themselves in the lawsuit brought by Kaley, who claimed social media addiction.

After hearing nearly a month of arguments, evidence, and witness testimony – including from Kaley and Meta executives Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri – the jury completed their deliberations. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan did not appear as a witness in the case.

Kaley testified that using social media almost all the time significantly damaged her self-esteem. She explained that it caused her to stop enjoying her hobbies, made it hard to connect with people, and led her to constantly compare herself to others.

During his final statement, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, presented the case as one driven by a company’s desire for profit. He claimed the apps were intentionally designed to make young people addicted.

Throughout the trial, the major tech companies insisted that Kaley’s mental health issues weren’t caused by their platforms.

During the trial, Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt shared details about the difficult relationship between his client and her mother. He presented a recording to the jury that seemed to show the mother shouting and using abusive language towards her daughter.

YouTube challenged Kaley’s claims about her usage, arguing that their data showed she only used the features her legal team described as addictive for a little over a minute each day.

The jury completely sided with Kaley in the case and rejected all arguments made by the defence.

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2026-03-28 21:51