PUPILS at Blundell’s in Devon gained an insight into public life as well as broadcasting when BBC Radio 4 programme Any Questions?

was broadcast live from the school.

More than 400 people, including parents, past and present pupils and the local community, attended and watched as the panel – Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael, Conservative backbench MP Nadhim Zahawi, New Statesman columnist Laurie Penny and Labour backbench MP Frank Field – debated questions put by the audience on topics of the day, such as Kiev, food banks, Scottish independence and whether it wasagood idea to put a calorie count on bottles of wine.

Ten sixth-formers, most of whom are studying politics, helped at the event and mixed with panel members and chairman Jonathan Dimbleby at a reception after the broadcast.