The 90-minute show -- which ZBM is broadcasting -- has been organised by Bermuda Chamber of Commerce president Cris Valdes-Dapena and community activist Rolfe Commissiong.

Joining them will be ex-Bermuda Sun editor Tom Vesey, lawyer Ian Kawaley, black activist and Education Officer Llewellyn Simmons, Cummings Zuill, formerly of the Bank of Bermuda, and Charles Gosling of Gosling Brothers.

The eighth panel member was supposed to be attorney Victoria Pearman, but she will not be able to make it, and has been replaced by Arlene Brock.

The show, which starts at 7.30 p.m., will be hosted by Roy Wright, of Bermuda College, but he will play a backseat role as participants question each other directly.

Ms Valdes-Dapena hoped this format would infuse some electricity into the discussion. Mr. Wright has been charged with keeping the debate on track.

She also said that the selection of the panel was not an attempt to be representative of all the divisions of Bermuda culture, but organisers were deliberately keeping the debate to a single dialogue between black and white as "it's highly emotional''.

Fellow organiser Rolfe Commissiong said the debate was a seminal event in the Island's history, but stressed it was not a panacea.

He hoped the debate would be an example of democratic culture at its best and would help the Country move forward.

Speaking with The Royal Gazette last night, Mr. Commissiong said the cost of airing the programme had now been met.

He said the level of donations over the last week showed that the debate was a necessary initiative as shown by the encouraging response.

He also said there was growing anticipation that there needed to be more meetings on the race topic.

Mr. Commissiong would not rule out the possibility of holding further debates but said: "The proof will be in the pudding in terms of the public response.'' He said the Diversity Institute had been very helpful in preparing discussions for the debate, and in a first for Bermuda, Mr. Commissiong said the debate would be interactive as viewers would be able to submit e-mails with questions or statements and mid-way through the debate several of the questions would be posed to the panel.

He could not give an address for e-mails, but said it would be on the TV for the debate.

And those e-mails not used on air would be gathered and used in the post-mortem. All points of view would be taken into consideration for any future debates.

Mr. Commissiong said the idea for this televised debate was born during a talk on sustainable development.

He and Ms Valdes-Dapena had attended it in the summer.

The two talked and continued their own dialogue, and their willingness to find some common ground would now be opened up to the rest of the Island. Mr.

Commissiong said following the meetings on long-term residents and the Constitution the issue of race always seemed to be the sub-text, but he now wanted it to be the main text.

Mr. Commissiong was the mastermind behind the televised debate.

He encourage people to tune in and said: "Everyone will be pleasantly surprised.''