BBC Question Time comes to Trinity School, Croydon
24 Apr 2015
Trinity School’s Concert Hall was turned into the set for BBC’s Question Time on Thursday 19th March to record its weekly political debate.
Fifteen students were able to take part in the technical set-up and were given an excellent tour by the programme director, Rob Hopkin, round the plethora of cameras, microphones and other technical wizardry that goes into making the programme.
Students were able to ask questions about the practical aspects of producing a television show. Question Time is usually recorded about two hours prior to transmission which leaves little time for editing.
Twenty of Trinity’s Politics students and keen debaters were invited to do the soundcheck as either members of the audience or the lucky five sitting in the hot seats as David Dimbleby fired questions at them. David Dimbleby didn’t hold back when questioning students and thoroughly challenged the pupils on their views. They performed with great poise.
Helen Springer (Lower Sixth) said, “It was a daunting but exhilarating experience being subjected to David Dimbleby’s questioning.”
Afterwards the programme’s director Rob Hopkin said, “Trinity pupils asked some of the best questions from any school we have ever visited. It was a pleasure to work with them”.
The real panellists on the night were Conservative culture secretary Sajid Javid, Labour’s shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Shirley Williams, Dia Chakravarty of the TaxPayers’ Alliance and novelist Will Self.
Photo: (Trinity Sixth formers (l-r) Henry Harman, Laura Harries, Helen Springer, Axl Ripley and Joe Oakes with David Dimbleby)