BBC’s flagship political show Question Time was filmed at St Dunstan’s College on Thursday 28 February. St Dunstan’s Great Hall was transformed into the BBC set with the famous panel, audience seating and vibrant variety of cameras and lighting. During the day the production team ran two sessions with St Dunstan’s students. 

The first was a talk with the production team on staging and filming. The students got to experience what life is like on the Question Time panel and also to see what happens behind the scenes, with the pupils taking hold of the cameras and sitting in with the production trucks. Later on in the day, a group of students got to have their moment with presenter Fiona Bruce as they took part in a sound check and show rehearsal. Fiona put the students through their paces asking them their thoughts on major political topics such as Brexit. Ahead of the recording, five of our Sixth Formers took part in meeting and greeting the guests and escorting them to the green room. They included Labour MP Barry Gardiner, Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi and Lib Dem MP, Layla Moran. The students took this time as an opportunity to speak to the MPs on issues such as Brexit, a People’s Vote and the current situation of British politics. The MPs praised the Sixth Formers’ questions with Barry Gardiner joking he was getting a harder time from the students than he would do on the Question Time panel.

A spokesperson for the College said: ‘St Dunstan’s College was delighted to host BBC Question Time at the College, especially at such a momentous time in British politics. It was a fantastic opportunity for all of our students with many taking part in the sessions with the production and editorial teams.’ Question Time, widely known as the nation’s most popular political debate programme, has been running since September 1979 and is now presented by Fiona Bruce. The show hears from a range of voices and always has representation from the government of the day and the official opposition party, as well as representatives from political parties.