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Matt Pollard from High Wycombe makes history on Â鶹ԼÅÄ ONE's Question Time

Category: News
Date: 06.07.2006
Printable version

For the first time in its 27-year history, a member of the public will occupy a seat on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Question Time panel.

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Matt Pollard, age 20 from High Wycombe, won a place on Question Time after a national competition to find the best candidate.

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He will go head-to-head with David Miliband MP, Environment Secretary; Lord Coe, Chairman, London 2012; Julia Goldsworthy MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman; and Richard Madeley, writer and broadcaster.

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The programme, chaired by David Dimbleby from London, transmits on Â鶹ԼÅÄ ONE at 10.35pm on Thursday 6 July 2006.

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The competition runner-up was Louise Box, 21, from Ilkley in West Yorkshire.

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Matt Pollard said: "It's unbelievable. I only applied to take a break from revision! It's been good fun and I'm nervous but excited."

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David Dimbleby commented: "For our third Schools Question Time the students sprung a surprise on us. It will make it a lively and I imagine surprising edition of the programme.

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"It is another way of opening politics up in as informal a way as possible which is what the winners of the competition want to achieve. I am looking forward to it."

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The competition to find a panellist was the idea of the students who won the Schools Question Time Challenge and they chose the eventual winner.

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Applicants aged 18 to 25 were invited to submit a short mobile phone video clip explaining why they want to be on Question Time.

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Matt was selected after an interview and an audition in a television studio.

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The Schools Question Time Challenge - a national initiative launched in September 2005 by BT, the Institute for Citizenship and the Â鶹ԼÅÄ - helps pupils learn about citizenship, contribute to stimulating political discussions, improve their speaking and listening skills and engage with members of the community.

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The challenge is now in its third year.

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As winners of the Schools Question Time Challenge, two students from four UK schools will work with David Dimbleby and a Â鶹ԼÅÄ production team to make a unique edition of the show.

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Pupils from City & Islington College in London, Knox Academy in Haddington, East Lothian, Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn in Carmarthenshire and Wolverhampton Girls School in Wolverhampton have been involved in all aspects of the production process, making editorial decisions, researching and taking on production roles.

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Schools registered to enter the challenge online - www.bt.com/education/schoolsqt - and had to describe the issues they would discuss during their ideal Question Time and the panel they would choose to discuss those issues.

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From the entries, judges chose 12 finalists and each school was given a £500 cash grant from BT to stage their own Question Time event.

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The finalist schools also received professional support from the company by taking part in a Schools Question Time workshop focusing on communication skills.

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A team of judges visited each event and the four winning schools were chosen.

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Seventeen-year-old Hannah Couchman from Wolverhampton Girls SchoolÌýsaid: "WeÌýwant a young person on the panel to demonstrate that we are politically minded, and we have views and opinions on all kinds of issues - and most of them are a lot more original than those of politicians!"

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David Dimbleby will announce the launch of Schools Question Time 2006/07 on the special Question Time programme in London.

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All UK schools with pupils aged 14 to 19 can enter the Schools Question Time Challenge, which is supported by free citizenship education resources from the BT Education Programme.

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Schools can register their interest in the challenge and resources at www.bt.com/education/schoolsqt or by emailing schoolsquestiontime@bteducation.org.

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Notes to Editors

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More information at www.bt.com/education/schoolsqt or www.citizen.org.uk.

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The Institute for Citizenship is an independent charitable trust. Its aim is to promote informed, active citizenship and greater participation in democracy and society through a combination of community projects, research, education and discussion and debate.

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PR

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