Framwellgate School, in Durham City, is to host a current affairs radio show. Any Questions? – a show in which politicians and public figures answer questions from the public – is set to be broadcast live from the school on 10th February.
As usual, the show will be chaired by veteran BBC broadcaster Jonathon Dimbleby. Though not all the guests on the panel have been announced, it has been confirmed that Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Conservative MP for Berwick, and Rachel Reeves, the Labour MP for Leeds West, will be appearing.
Wendy Pattison, Framwellgate School’s business director, said, “It’s massive for us. It’s rare for them to choose a secondary school and for us to get it is a real buzz.”
“It’s particularly exciting for our sixth formers, who are studying government and politics. On the night, they will be running around collecting people’s questions and will be able to watch it all happening.”
“It’s putting us right at the heart of the community for the night.”
Framwellgate School said, “The audience will be a mixture of the school community, including students, governors and trustees, staff and members of the local community. Also invited are political parties and independent representatives from Durham.”
On Friday 10th February, the doors will open at 6.45 pm. The programme will go out live following the 8.00 pm news and will finish at 8.50 pm.
A limited number of free tickets are available to the general public, and will be given out on a first-come-first-serve basis.
The tickets – maximum two per person – can be reserved by emailing [email protected] and should be collected from the school’s main reception before the day of the show. Limited car parking will be available on the school site.
Any Questions? first aired on 12th October 1948. Originally chaired by Freddie Grisewood, it has been chaired by Jonathon Dimbleby since 1987.
The record for the greatest number of appearances by a panel member on the show is held by the late Labour politician Tony Benn. He first appeared on Any Questions in 1951 and went on to appear on the programme over 80 times.