Fiona Bruce has said the BBC hired the “wrong person” if it was hoping to use her appointment to create a “softer” Question Time.

Bruce will take up her new role as the BBC One political panel debate show’s first female host on Thursday, replacing David Dimbleby who stood down in December after 26 years to return to his “first love”: reporting.

When Bruce’s appointment was announced last month – from a shortlist which reportedly included Emily Maitlis, Kirsty Wark, Victoria Derbyshire, Samira Ahmed and Nick Robinson – a number of newspapers reported that the show’s producers were keen to give it “a softer feel”.