Question from Richard Hart: Do you still have the CFC tattoo?
Donal MacIntyre: I certainly do still have the tattoo and it will probably last on me as long as the threat from the programme. I actually support Wimbledon! I have had one removal session, which was fairly painless, but I have to have five more sessions to get it removed completely.
Question from Steph Head: What was scarier - Thailand or Brixton?
Donal MacIntyre: I think Brixton. Here was a man that spent 42 minutes with me - became my friend, who said he was my friend, pretended to be the good Samaritan in an area where we had already met some good Samaritans. A guy who persuaded me that he was safe, smart and he understood me and then out of the blue he pulled the knife on me. I think the shock on me was revealed when I broke down afterwards.
Question from David Jones: What's the most shocking thing you have ever seen?
Donal MacIntyre: The abuse of those with learning difficulties in the Brompton care home. It was shocking and it was perpetrated on those who could not ask for help.
Question from Michael Davies: Have you got a wife? If so, she cannot be happy with you mixing with muggers like last week?
Donal MacIntyre: No, I don't have a wife but I have a girlfriend. After I got mugged, I spent the night with the team trying to track the equipment and I never told my girlfriend the full story. Some weeks later, she heard from another journalist the full trauma I went through and that upset her a lot. I didn't want to tell her, or my mother or my family, what I went through. They've seen the programme now and they felt for me. It's a difficult thing for men who end up crying on TV but I've never pretended to be a hard man, just a bloke pretending to be hard.
Question from Wally: How much research do you have to put into a story, before you're SURE it IS a story?
Donal MacIntyre: I think we spend several months on research before we feel that there's enough evidence to warrant investigating the issue. It all depends on the story though.
Question from Steph Head: What has been the highlight of your career as an investigative man?
Donal MacIntyre: Plenty of lowlights! My hair has now been speckled grey, no highlights there! I think it probably was the vindication of our journalism in an exhaustive trial, where all our methods and all the rushes from all the programmes, and our emails and correspondence over two years were considered by a jury, who then went on to convict two hooligans of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and to send them to jail. Right now those hooligans are still in jail and I suspect they watched last week's programme and probably took some enjoyment in me getting mugged.
Question from Paul T: Donal, do you have any regrets about the shows you have done?
Donal MacIntyre: My regrets on the shows really are perhaps the risks which other members of the team have taken on behalf of BBC journalism, not me. Those members of the team have had to move house too, under threat, and no-one can know the stress and trauma they have gone through - particularly those with children.
Question from Gary: Which part of Ireland are you from?
Donal MacIntyre: I'm from Dublin. I often think it's very helpful being Irish going undercover in this country, because people find it very difficult to place you in a social bracket, which allows you to investigate all income groups.
Question from Emma D: Why is there always a shot of you topless? I like your chest, by the way.
Donal MacIntyre: I don't know really! Jonathan Ross said it was for the guys but you say it's for the ladies! When you are on a beach in Thailand and it's 40 degrees I think you might be allowed to take your shirt off. Other people might think it's gratuitous, who knows.
Question from Pund: Have you ever refused to take part in an investigation because it poses too much of a risk? If so, what story?
Donal MacIntyre: I'm excluding stories which are really beyond the reach of journalists. There are stories about paedophilia which I have done stories on as a journalist, but subjects like this are too difficult to broach again.
Question from Rob Ryall: What can we expect from future series'?
Donal MacIntyre: A very exciting series coming up in September, looking at old issues in an exciting new way. It's dealing with hardcore personal issues, which I think will touch everybody. We're currently working on them - we're filming constantly now.
Question from Claudia McKay: Do your crew ever refuse to put themselves in some of the situations you choose to do?
Donal MacIntyre: They were very critical that I went off last week with the good Samaritan. They felt that I put myself too much in danger. They know it's my job to follow the journalistic route and they don't have to do that. In Burma, when shooting broke out, I followed to look at what was going on, my colleague Adrian fell behind but it's my job to follow the story and to see exactly if we could track down the drug trail, so I continued. The decision is up to them really, but I tend to be slightly ahead of them because that's my job as a leader on the team.
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