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Matt Pollard from High Wycombe makes history on 91Èȱ¬ ONE's Question Time
For the first time in its 27-year history, a member of the public will occupy a
seat on the 91Èȱ¬ 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 91Èȱ¬ 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 91Èȱ¬ - 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 91Èȱ¬ 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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