BOLTON played host to a spirited political debate on national television as Question Time was filmed live in the borough.

The popular show was held in the Whites Hotel in Horwich and followed an interview programme featuring the Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband, which was shown on Channel 4 and Sky.

The assembled Bolton audience were asked to watch the two men who could become Prime Minister be grilled by interviewer Jeremy Paxman and answer questions from a studio audience, before Question Time began.

Host David Dimbleby then introduced a panel including the broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, UKIP’s finance spokesman Stephen Woolfe, Conservative Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy and the leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood.

In the audience on the night was 51-year-old Jez Wadd from Harwood.

He said: “I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it extremely interesting — we watched the leaders debate first so by the time Question Time started we were all quite tired.

“Nevertheless the show was brilliant and very enjoyable, for me, Stephen Woolfe of UKIP was surprisingly good and very knowledgeable — and Janet Street-Porter was a hoot as usual.”

Mr Wadd said he “didn’t think much” of Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood and felt that the panellists from Labour and the Conservatives “were pretty much what I expected, not too impressive but not too disappointing.”

He said he felt that the audience was not perhaps as mixed in terms of political persuasions as he would have liked, adding: “I would suggest that the audience had a bit of red bias and perhaps more of a spread would have been better for the programme.”

Another audience member was 33-year-old Vikki Hambleton from Horwich, who is studying community and neighbourhood studies at the University of Bolton.

She said: “I was pleased to be in the audience and actually managed to speak on the programme about how I don’t feel that our democracy properly represents the smaller parties.

“I thought the whole thing was good and It was great to be involved as it was in my home town — it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

“We watched the leaders debate first and If I had to pick a winner it would be Ed Miliband — I thought he coped well when Jeremy Paxman was trying to bully him.

“I think some of the things that David Cameron said were good but I don’t think he came across as well.

“Also I have to say that David Dimbleby is lovely in real life and quite funny.”

Another Bolton resident who spoke on camera was 30-year-old Charlotte Atty from Sharples.

She told David Dimbleby that she was frustrated by the leader’s debates because she didn’t learn anything from them.

She said: “Particularly with David Cameron, I just felt that he gave very basic answers on everything.

“I do think Ed Miliband came across quite well and I am not a Labour or a Conservative voter.

“Question Time was a fantastic experience and I really enjoyed it, I know a lot of people that applied so it was quite a privilege to be there.”