´óÏó´«Ã½

The panel for the First Time Voters' Question Time has been announced today.

The panel will include David Lammy MP, Higher Education Minister; Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; and Julia Goldsworthy MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Communities and Local Government, and one of the youngest MPs in the Commons.

First Time Voters' Question Time is hosted by Dermot O'Leary tomorrow (Wednesday 3 March 2010).

Filmed in front of an audience of first-time voters, the programme will be broadcast live from Canary Wharf, London, on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three at 8.00pm.

Joining the politicians will be political satirist Rory Bremner and Tim Campbell, the first winner of The Apprentice and a social enterprise ambassador. After working for Sir Alan Sugar for two years, he left Amstrad to set up the Bright Ideas Trust, which aims to give young people a chance to start up in business with funding and advice.

The sixth panellist will be Jamelia, singer and Prince's Trust ambassador.

Talking about the panel line-up, Ed Havard, Editor of Question Time and First Time Voters' Question Time, said: "´óÏó´«Ã½ Three is the most-watched digital channel for 16-34 year olds for the time it's on air so it is great to have panellists with a genuine appeal and profile amongst first-time voters.

"This is a unique programme and an important piece of public service broadcasting in the current context.

"We are pleased to have secured panellists who can debate some of the issues of greatest concern to first-time voters."

Ahead of Wednesday's programme, Dermot O'Leary said: "I'm a massive Question Time fan.

"Politics has always interested me and I was fortunate to study politics at an incredibly interesting time with the fall of Margaret Thatcher, the Tory victory of 1992 and the subsequent birth of New Labour.

"After recent events it seems politicians from all parties have got their work cut out for them to win over the trust of the electorate and especially first-time voters.

"I really hope we can answer a lot of the questions that first-time voters have and help engage the policy-makers of tomorrow."

Notes to Editors

First Time Voters' Question Time is part of a package of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three programmes bringing political coverage to the 16 to 34-year-old audience.

The one-off programme is produced by Mentorn Media, makers of ´óÏó´«Ã½'s One's Question Time, as a separate commission.

LZ