Being an academic and a broadcaster, Professor Beard came to Question Time well prepared: she actually read the local authority report about the impact of migration.
I have long feared that most people don't want to watch TV to learn, but rather to receive their daily dose of scandal, gossip, sports stats, and, if they want to be really daring, politically polarised polemic - combined, the true opiate of the masses. AA Gill's ill-conceived words only further this assumption.