For only the 2nd time since it started in 1948, “Any Questions” was broadcast live on National BBC Radio 4 in East London. Year 11 students were there to witness Jonathan Dimbleby chairing the topical debate from the London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel. The panellists were the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, shadow business secretary Ken Clarke, senior politics editor at the New Statesman Mehdi Hasan and Liberal Democrat spokesman on communities and local government Julia Goldsworthy.

During the warm up, the man from the BBC urged the audience to cheer and boo so that radio listeners could hear what local people thought. The reaction was rowdy, especially when the issue of Muslims being shown negatively in the media was discussed. The venue for the show, London Muslim Centre, had been criticised earlier in the week in the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary.

Students, staff and parents got involved in a live debate on BBC presenter Nihal’s afternoon show on the BBC ASIAN NETWORK radio station yesterday. Transmitted from an LIS classroom, they covered topics like, how easy it is to make it to university and how gang culture affects young people and communities.

The show was also joined by Beat Boxing Champion MC Zani and Rapper Mumsy. Because of the schools involvement with BBC SCHOOL REPORT this year, some of the students who had worked on the project had a live link up with a Manchester school on BBC Five Live.

You can listen to it here but it’s only up there for a week! http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rbmhl/Nihal_11_03_2010/

Well done to everyone who took part!