A TAVISTOCK College student challenged politicians on national television when he was selected to appear on BBC's Question Time.

George Coiley, 18, quizzed panellists including Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt and former minister Ben Bradshaw after being chosen as an audience member.

George said: 'I asked what advice the panel thought Margaret Thatcher gave the Prime Minister at Number 10 on her visit there.

'It was a jokey question so they gave jokey responses. The Labour guy said he didn't know and the Tory said he thought she would have said he should stick to his guns however hard it gets.'

George applied to attend the programme with his father Graham, a governor at the school, when he learned it was to be filmed in Plymouth.

'I wanted to go because I'm interested in politics and really enjoy the show,' he said.

'When you apply you have to submit questions and mine was picked. It was fairly scary and it was a relief to ask it early on so I could enjoy the rest of the show.

'It was an awesome experience — I didn't realise how much the public interacts and there is a lot more debate.'