CHIDDINGFOLD residents found themselves famous for five minutes on Friday when BBC Radio Four's ever-popular Any Questions came to the village hall.

And for one of the village's tradesmen, plumber Robert Woods, he not only got to try out his question on the panel about bringing back the stocks and cat o'-nine-tails, on the short practice session before the real thing went on air live on Friday night, but was also brought back to ask his question again towards the end of the 45- minute programme.

Villagers fired their range of topical and lighthearted questions, chosen just before the programme went on air at the panel, bringing with it plenty of applause for some of the comments made during the lively debate.

The panel was made up of environmentalist Jonathon Porritt, the government's chief advisor on sustainable development and chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, Ram Gidoomal, leader of the Christian People's Alliance who stood in last year's mayor for London elections, Mary Loudon, an author and one of the Whitbread Prize judges this year and Peter Hitchens the outspoken columnist of The Mail on Sunday.

The panel as usual was under the chairmanship of Jonathan Dimbleby.

Questions on the possible end of democracy, low voter turnout, urban riots, the continued foot-and-mouth crisis, racism and advice for the two prospective candidates in the fight to become chairman of the Conservative party, were all tackled by the panel.

Hosted by Chiddingfold WI as part of its 80th birthday celebrations which were held last year, Mr Dimbleby told the audience of around 240 of happy memories of his childhood days spent at the family home in nearby Lynchmere.

He welcomed what is regularly an audience of around 1.5 million listeners to "one of the prettiest villages in the south of England".

First off the blocks was Michael Abrahams with his question on low voter turnout and could the recent violent riots mark the beginning of the end of democracy? This was followed by questions from villagers Eileen Coates, Tony Chilvers, Mark Broughton and Kate Farrington. But it was left to Mr Woods to ask the final question of the last programme before it took its summer break, over the return of the stocks. He told the panel and the country that he would "like to be the first one to deliver the rotten fruit".