'Don't you dare call my show boring'

As hosts of the BBC's top political talk shows, David Dimbleby and Andrew Neil are adept at keeping the rampaging rivalries of their guests in check.

But now the two heavyweight presenters have become embroiled in an ill-tempered spat of their own - with one another.

For some time now, Mr Neil - who hosts the late night show This Week - has been making lighthearted jokes at the expense of Mr Dimbleby's Question Time, which precedes it in Thursday evening's television schedule, suggesting it was less than riveting viewing.

But while some have interpreted it as jolly BBC banter the Question Time presenter has been less than amused.

After several weeks of simmering tension, the final straw came two weeks ago, when Mr Neil wondered aloud if any viewers were still awake following Question Time's debate with the three Lib Dem leadership candidates. 'What a yawn!' he said.

Furious, Mr Dimbleby gave the green light for a senior member of his production team to send a formal complaint to BBC bosses.

That has now led to Mr Neil being warned about his behaviour and told to stop ribbing his show's more venerable rival.

Although Mr Dimbleby and Mr Neil are social acquaintances with shared interests - both, for example, have run newspaper groups - they represent very different broadcasting and political cultures.

While Mr Dimbleby is a BBC institution - and was even a candidate to become the corporation's chairman - Mr Neil is a self-styled Establishment outsider.

Nonetheless, there is no history of illwill between the pair, prompting speculation that the current outbreak of hostilities is down to old-fashioned professional pride. Though Question Time remains the BBC's flagship discussion programme, This Week - with its quirky and less reverential approach to Westminster - has been winning an increasingly large and vocal fan club.