Radio 4 'Any Questions' has first cancellation

Broadcasts of Radio 4's Any Questions were cancelled on Friday and Saturday for the first time in the programme's history.

Sister show Any Answers was also affected as three guest panellists failed to make their way to the live recording near Durham.

Minister for the Department for Work and Pensions Chris Grayling, Labour peer Lord Malloch-Brown and Rita Clifton, UK Chairwoman of Interbrand, were all affected by a 4pm train cancellation at Kings Cross after a man was hit by a train at an earlier time.

Chairman Jonathan Dimbleby and one panellist, historian Professor Richard Grayson, were ready to record at the National Rail Museum in Shildon, but the others were hit by further delays and it was ruled that taxis were 'not a viable option to complete the journey', according to The Telegraph.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances some panellists due to appear on Any Questions from Durham this evening were severely held up on their journeys," a BBC spokesperson said. "As a consequence there will be no Any Questions on Friday night or Saturday and no edition of Any Answers."

It is believed that this was the first cancellation in the show's 60-year history.