Lively grilling for BBC panel

Questions from residents who ranged from a pub landlord to schoolchildren kept the celebrity experts on their toes as cameras rolled in Sedgley.

Frequent panellist Baroness Shirley Williams told the Express & Star the audience last night was one of the liveliest she had seen.

"We all quite enjoyed it. They were a lively audience, much more than usual.

"They challenged us. They laughed a lot. They were a joyous audience."

David Dimbleby took the chair to film an hour of lively debate covering topics from cricket to alcohol for the popular politics show at the Dormston School, in Mill Bank.

Dormston pupils from the school and A-level politics students from Old Swinford Hospital School, Stourbridge, grilled the panel of six on the problem of teenage drinking.

They told guests, who included feminist and academic Germaine Greer, international development secretary Douglas Alexander, shadow international development secretary Andrew Mitchell, Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Williams and author and journalist Toby Young, that drinking was not just a teenage problem but affected all age groups. Stourbridge publican Sean Keasey sparked a lively debate when he asked what Gordon Brown had achieved from his visit to the US.

He described the Prime Minister as "fawning" over President Obama and "out purely for his own political gain".

Sutton Coldfield Tory MP Andrew Mitchell said Mr Keasey was absolutely right.

Although six questions were selected the panel only had time to debate five.

Retired railway manager Jeremy Cobb asked whether quantitative easing, otherwise known as printing money, was brave or barmy.

Postman Thomas Cleaton asked why the money could not be found for prescription charging to be free. Solicitor Roger Hammersley asked whether the likely exclusion of Pakistan from international cricket would encourage an increase in terrorism in other countries.

But he was soon put back under the spotlight when Mr Dimbleby turned the question back to him.

And his question provoked a strong reaction from opponents of Toby Young's views on Pakistan.

Housewife Bridget Sage asked whether England would be following Scotland's example over the pricing of alcohol.

The school staff room was used as the green room before cameras rolled an hour ahead of the BBC programme's screening at 10.35pm.

And as soon as filming was over the audience quickly left the venue to get home in time to watch their performance on TV.