Two politics students from Blackwood are to produce an episode of BBC TV’s Question Time after impressing corporation bosses in a competition.
Coleg Gwent students David Cavell, 17, and Alexandra Morgan,18, staved off competition from from more than 700 UK schools to win the placement.
Last month the college held a Question Time event and were judged in various categories including citizenship skills, creativity and project management.
The Crosskeys campus event was chaired by Western Mail journalist Martin Shipton and included representatives from the Conservative Party, Plaid Cymru and members of the Coleg Gwent debating team.
Alexandra, who sat on the panel and fielded questions from the audience, said: “It was more intense than I expected but it was a great experience.
“We were faced mainly with questions surrounding issues that affect young people like reducing the voting age to 16, increasing the age that people should stay in compulsory education to 18 and the issues surrounding mephedrone and whether it should be legal.
“The event went better than any of us expected which meant that all our hard work and preparation paid off.”
David, who project managed the event, said: “It was a lot of running around on the day but the whole team pulled together to make it a success. We were really shocked to win – you don’t come in the top four in the UK with ease so it’s obvious all of the planning and effort was worth it with a fantastic result.
“It’s a unique opportunity. It will be great to see the difference between what we came up with and what happens in reality, and to have access to the BBC’s equipment and resources.”
As the only Welsh entry, the students were up against other schools and colleges across the UK.
The team is one of four that won the opportunity to join David Dimbleby and the Question Time team for a workshop in May and will also shadow members of the production team as they produce an edition of the programme on July 8.