MORE than 250 people crammed into Old Town's Christ Church for a BBC Radio 4 recording of Any Questions.

The 40-minute weekly current affairs debate took place in what is widely regarded as Swindon's finest building.

But according to at least one local man the programme lacked levity.

Matt Holland, 55, organiser of the Swindon Festival of Literature, said: "I would like to have seen more universally interesting and general questions.

"Most of the subjects, like Private Finance Initiatives and Iraq, were topical but tired. Don't get me wrong Swindon needs all the good press it can get, but the show was dull."

Jonathan Dimbleby chaired the panel, which consisted of LibDem foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell, shadow trade and industry spokesman Tim Yeo, commons intelligence and security member Ann Taylor and Times columnist Simon Jenkins.

When asked how they would spend their last 24-hours, the biggest cheer of the night went to Simon Jenkins when he said: "I would go to a lovely place with lovely people, lovely old buildings and a wonderful arts festival, like Swindon."