if those countries can do it, wondered terry pearson, why should our potential leaders avoid that sortt it about time the bbc took on the clearly prepared conservative strategy of not letting may face searching political questions? the one show "who takes out the bins?" does not count. i still don't understand why we will not see may versus corbyn in a tv debate. if the bbc had seriously threatened to empty chair her, she would have had little choice. well, let's discuss some of those issues with the bbc‘s head of news gathering, jonathan monroe. jonathan, let's start with whether the bbc should have done more to try to get theresa may to take part in a leaders debate by threatening to go ahead with her seat empty. well, we're really disappointed the prime minister's not doing the leaders debate, we would have liked to have done a leaders debate featuring the party leaders themselves. the day after the easter weekend the prime minister announced basically two things. number one, there would be a general election. and number two, she would not take part in television debates. and ourjud

if those countries can do it, wondered terry pearson, why should our potential leaders avoid that sorte part in a leaders debate by threatening to go ahead with her seat empty. well, we're really disappointed the prime minister's not doing the leaders debate, we would have liked to have done a leaders debate featuring the party leaders themselves. the day after the easter weekend the prime minister announced basically two things. number one, there would be a general election. and number two, she would not take part in television debates. and ourjudgment was that wasn't a negotiating position, she wasn't going to change her mind. so threatening to empty chair would have led to an empty chair. ultimately, the viewer doesn't learn anything from an empty chair. she has paid no price for refusing the leaders debate. in fact, there she is on the one show sofa, and viewers have said, whatever you say, they feel that's wrong, and maybe she would have given in. but she hasn't paid a price for saying no. we don't know that she's not paid a price. some viewers may decide that they're going to cha