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or many young people politics feels distant and irrelevant, even when we’re talking about flagship TV shows like Question Time. A quick ask around revealed that while most of The Cut’s friends and peers had heard of the programme, few spent their Thursday evenings watching it. To see if we could unearth its value to young people two members of the team spent an evening as runners on the show, which offered a bird’s eye view over its content and production. Hosted by the charismatic David Dimbleby, Question Time has always been the stomping ground for wellstructured debates boasting a wide range of well known panelists from across the political spectrum. On arrival at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith we were showed around the studio. In fact, the entire production team was made up of ten people, most of whom were located in an impressive mobile media van. Every part of the production was controlled from inside the van and it was from here that we were able to view the recording of the pre-broadcast trailer. It struck us just how regimented the production was, with every last detail and camera angle controlled by the team, despite a few minor hitches that were covered up by Dimbleby’s astoundingly dry sense of humor. The sound check offered a surreal experience: we were placed around the hall as if we were members of the audience and took part in a mock Question Time debate with Dimbleby. This offered
another great example of his unique sense of humour. Almost every point that came from the handful of ‘audience’ members was cleverly picked apart by the 71 year old host, who still manages to assert such a profound sense of authority 15 years after taking control of the show. While all of this was going on, sound engineers worked frantically around us to make sure they had everything just right quite a job when you consider the high standards set in place by the BBC. Soon it was time for the real audience to take their places in front of the cameras. The audience is pre-selected to make sure that there is a balance across all ages and social, racial, and political groups. The essence of the show is one of fairness and equality, so a well balanced audience is crucial in allowing a fair debate to take place. Once the audience had submitted their questions to the show’s editor to be approved before recording, all were seated inside the studio. What followed was
surprising. To gauge how well each microphone and camera was working, five members of the audience were placed on the stage alongside the show’s Floor Manager. The audience members then took part in their own Question Time discussion for around 45 minutes. At times it was hard to remember that this was just the warm up, as a number of audience members became rather animated by the nature of the debate and some of the topics being discussed. Once this had finished Dimbleby and the rest of the Question Time panelists entered the studio to a wellreceived round of applause. The lineup included former Foreign Secretary and Labour MP Margaret Beckett, shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, the Liberal Democrats’ Treasury spokesman Vince Cable MP, writer Clive Anderson and TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp. Question Time is a prerecorded show, but there is no editing of what is filmed, demonstrating again just how well Dimbleby controls the show within its one hour time
slot. All the while cameramen and sound engineers worked busily to make sure every question and answer was covered perfectly for the viewers at home. Topics discussed varied from the continuation of British troop deployment in Afghanistan to the saga surrounding Tiger Woods’ private life. For us the evening was a perfect example of how debates should be open for all to be involved in. Question Time allows essential topics to be addressed without elements of class or status getting in the way and can enable young people to gain a true perspective of today’s politics, which is so important with an election coming up this year.
Text by Tom Mullett
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