The panel on tonights Any Questions program from Abingdon School were:

* Lord Heseltine: Why ever did the Tories not choose him for leader after Margeret Thatcher?
* Sarah Bradford: Royal Historian and Biographer
* (Dimbleby and producer)
* Sir Jeremy Greenstock: The Former Ambassador to the UN/Iraq who has written a book: the inside story about how we were misled to war. It has an embargo on it.
* Jack Dromey: Labour Party Treasurer/Deputy General Secretary of the TGWU who blew the whistle on Downing Streets questionable loans for honours system.

The ticket said “You should arrive between 6.45 and 7.15pm… Please note: Photography is not permitted at the programme…

There was a warm up lady who told us a little of the history of the program. It began in 1948. There have been 15000+ questions. The first ever question in 1948 was “What would be the effect on the country if more women gained political power.”

We were told that as there were no cameras, nodding our heads would do no good, and so to make our feelings known we could clap. We were given a little training in expressing ourselves with claps. First we tried out a moderate clap, than an enthusiastic clap, and then an over the top clapping. After that we tried showing disapproval with muttering, then muttering louder, then snarling.

The panel came out. We did Over-the-top clapping to which Jonathon Dimbleby said “Don’t strain yourselves…”, There followed a practise question to check sound levels before going on air. It was about what film or stage role they’d like to play. Lots of jokes around Michael Hesseltine’s former image as Tarzan.

Anyway the program began with Jonathon Dimbleby announcing we were in Abingdon, it being the 450th anniversary of Abingdon’s charter… and the 750th anniversary of the founding of the first school in Abingdon, to which Abingdon school traces its lineage.

But there was another anniversary today, reflected in the first and last questions. Happy 80th birthday to the Queen.