Examiner local government reporter BARRY GIBSON faces a grilling on a Question Time-style panel before an audience of 60 young people

He had an interesting take on the media, explaining how an underhand tabloid hack had landed him in hot water at Sheffield Wednesday 15 years ago.

He made an innocent joke about his team-mates Benito Carbone and Paolo di Canio not passing to him, which became “Boothy blasts Italians” across the back page the following day.

A lesson was learnt.

“Footballers speak in cliches because it’s safe,” he explained to the teenagers.

We also discussed tuition fees, further education funding and the Big Society during the hour-long discussion in the Harold Wilson Building.

Right at the end one of the young people, Joseph Williams, put the hard-hitting question we all wanted answered: Why can’t Town tackle in midfield?

I waved my hand to chairman Andy Mycock to indicate that I could field that one.

But, for some reason, he threw it to Boothy.

And with that we were done.

Some of the teenagers formed a queue to get the autograph of one of the panellists.

I think you can guess which one.