Last Friday, Primary 7 were invited through to the BBC Studios in Glasgow to watch the grand final of ‘Top Class’ hosted by Susan Calman.

Top Class is a competitive knock-out television show in which schools from all over the United Kingdom compete against each other.  They have to answer questions designed to test them to their limits, until, eventually, one school is crowned the champions!  Each team has to face a series of challenging rounds which cover a wide range of subjects. Pupils also have the chance to impress (and gain additional points) during their pet subject round, whilst their teacher is put under pressure in the ‘hot-seat’ during a pop culture round.

Primary 7 were in the audience and we watched the Grand Final with two schools competing.  Since the show has not been aired yet, we’re not allowed to say who the winners were.

When we arrived at the BBC, some of us were searched and some of our bags went through airport style scanners.  We were then led to a room where we waited until we were called by the floor manager.  Once called, we were led to the studio and to our seats.  The floor manager and director gave us signals on when to clap (quicker/louder and slower/quieter) and when to go ‘WOOOOOOOO’ when the mystery round came up.  We were also given time to practise so we looked and sounded good on camera.

During the recording it was surprising what went on.  Hair stylists, make-up artists, script writers and camera operators were busy moving around to ensure the best possible pictures were taken from the best possible angles……. and that the presenter looked her best!  It was a bit like our Sky Academy trip………….with a lot more lights, cameras and actions!

Some of the scenes had to be re-shot because a contestant wasn’t looking directly at the camera or the word wasn’t said clearly.  They even had to re-shoot a sequence because a large fly kept coming into view when they were filming.  In the end, a 25 minute show took 1 hour 20 minutes to record.  This gave us all an appreciation of how effective team working, discussion and co-operation was needed in order to produce a show.  We all really enjoyed the experience and can’t wait to watch ourselves on TV soon.

Primary 7

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