BBC bosses have been urged to explain the selection process on Question Time after an audience member who went on a racist rant was linked to far-right groups.

Reports over the weekend suggested the woman who made the anti-immigrant remarks had twice stood for election for the National Front and is currently an enthusiastic supporter of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League.

The row stems from last Thursday’s edition of the politics show, when the woman sitting in the middle of the front row spoke for 75 seconds, calling on the UK to close its borders “completely”.

Alarmingly, the programme then clipped the entire rant and shared it on their social media accounts – without any correction or fact checking. It has now been watched nearly 7 million times.

READ MORE: SNP urge Question Time review after BBC broadcasts racist rant

Former footballer, Stan Collymore – who has been at the receiving end of vicious racist abuse for years – tweeted the show, asking them to “confirm whether the lady on the front row of the last episode was twice a National Front candidate”.

He also asked the producers to “let the public know the criteria for ‘ordinary audience members’ and who books them?”

Unusually, the BBC have so far remained shtum, passing requests for comments on to Mentorn, the Scottish firm responsible for making Question Time. Previously the corporation have been quick to defend the programme.

Over the weekend, SNP MP Tommy Sheppard penned a letter to BBC bosses to complain.

He wrote: “Question Time used to use their social media outlets to ‘live’ fact-check contributions from panellists and the audience, as well as giving context to each question asked by the audience. Rather than carelessly clipping these inflammatory contributions on immigration, I suggest that Question Time looks to reinstate the more informative and engaging fact-checking as part of their social media strategy.”

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

The woman’s contribution came during a debate on “chronic understaffing in social care” because of the UK Government’s planned immigration reforms.

She said: “At what stage do the panel and people think this country has had enough? That we should close the borders, completely close the borders? Because it’s got to the stage now where there’s no education, the schooling, infrastructure – it’s enough.

“We are sinking. Surely someone’s got to see common sense and say ‘enough is enough” she claimed, before carrying on for another minute or so – far exceeding the usual time given over to an audience contribution.

Nasar Meer, professor of race, identity and citizenship at the University of Edinburgh, described the statement from the audience member as an “incitement to racial hatred”.

He said: “It seems profoundly inappropriate that that is shared as a window into a programme. The BBC shouldn’t be a vehicle for this.”

A spokesperson for the show said the debate featured a range of views.