Thought For The Day – Wednesday 15^th October 2025

Today we welcome the B.B.C. as they commence on-site preparations for the distinguished and long-running political and current affairs “BBC One” television programme “Question Time”.

This is such a very great honour for The Bishop’s Stortford High School, both our current community, and all who have gone before.

It is also a great honour for this town in Hertfordshire.  Civic pride.  Thank you to all who have put, and do put, Bishop’s Stortford, and the surrounding area, on the map.

And, so, just like that, the School Hall will become a television studio for a Thursday evening broadcast.

Thank you to all who work behind the scenes in the production and delivery of the programme. They are always the unsung heroes.

“Question Time” was first broadcast on the 25^th  September 1979.  Around 3.8 million watch the programme.  The theme tune of the programme is iconic, another reminder of the role and importance of music.

The programme is expertly presented by Fiona Bruce.  As we saw earlier this year, with Alex Forsyth chairing and presenting  the wonderful “Any Questions?”, it takes such immense skill to chair and present such a programme:  to communicate clearly and positively;  to hold panellists to account;  to dispassionately and fairly “referee” the debate and discussion;  to be across all the facts, research and stories;  to fact-check in the moment; and to think on one’s feet; to keep calm and cool under pressure.  Fiona Bruce, like Alex Forsyth, is the first woman presenter of the programme.

Such debates and discussions with political representatives and public figures, involving members of the general public, are at the very heart of our democracy. In many ways, this goes back to Athens, in Ancient Greece, and beyond.

We mirror these balanced, fair, legal, and appropriately safe discussions in Politics, Citizenship and Personal and Social Health Education, and in all areas,  at the School.

We show respect for all legal political parties and appropriate perspectives.  For example, in a memorable local moment last month in the House of Commons, Labour Member of Parliament, for the constituency of Hertford and Stortford, Josh Dean M.P., paid a wonderful tribute to the late, great former Conservative councillor Norma Symonds.

And, as regards people working together, although a different context beyond words, this is a certainly historic week, with the hope and prayers for the beginning of the long road to peace in the Middle East.

This is the second television programme we have hosted, following BBC One’s “The Big Questions”, where moral topics were debated and discussed, in February 2014.

“Question Time” follows our hosting of Radio 4’s “Any Questions?”, for the third time in our history, earlier this year.  We also thank “BBC Politics East”, broadcast on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m., for visiting us twice last year. And we pay tribute to the public service broadcasting of the B.B.C. generally, whose mission is to safely inform, educate and entertain, with balance. Former students of T.B.S.H.S. Greg James and Georgia Mann are broadcasters with “BBC Radio 1” and “BBC Radio 3” respectively.

Modern and classical, classical and modern, we spread “The Black and Gold Spirit”.

We pay tribute to all truthful, courageous, and diligent broadcasters, communicators, and media in the U.K. and throughout the world. Their role is integral to democracy.

And, equally, we pay tribute to all moral and respectful public leaders, representatives, and servants.

“Question Time” is a wonderful opportunity for the Politics Department of T.B.S.H.S.. Thank you for all the outstanding work Mr. Conquest and the Politics students do, and have done,  in this vital area. The department and subject with a fine history at the School.  Mr. Conquest has greatly enhanced this legacy.

As regards a political anniversary this week,  at the time of “Any Questions?”, we mentioned a drama broadcast on “Channel 4”, “Brian and Maggie”, which dramatized the professional relationship between broadcaster, interviewer, journalist and former Labour Member of Parliament, Brian Walden, and former Conservative  Member of Parliament, Leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, Margaret Thatcher.  Drama so often captures a story, a moment, a memory, and a history.   Baroness Thatcher, who passed away in 2013.  was born one hundred years ago on 13^th October earlier this week. There have been events marking this centenary in her hometown of Grantham in Lincolnshire.  Historically, Baroness Thatcher was the first ever woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The drama “Brian and Maggie”  builds to are-creation of what would be the final interview between Brian Walden and Margaret Thatcher in 1989 which was, on both “sides” of the interview,  another example of the rigour, respect and vital importance of political communication, debate, discussion, and leadership. Many years ago, on separate occasions, we invited both Lady Thatcher and Brian Walden to the School, as we did, and do, other appropriate guests. They are pictured below, the first picture from an early episode of Brian Walden’s then Sunday lunchtime ITV programme “Weekend World”,  as is their correspondence with T.B.S.H.S..

We greatly look forward to welcoming B.B.C. “Question Time” to The Bishop’s Stortford High School.

The world safely comes to The Bishop’s Stortford High School.

And The Bishop’s Stortford High School humbly goes to the world, always mindful of our duties to others and our roots.

Thank you very much indeed, once again in the life and history of the T.B.S.H.S., to Mr. Reeve for his leadership and organisation of “Question Time”, a very special and unique moment.