HE may be too young to vote, but that did not stop schoolboy Akul Pankhania from catching election fever.

So concerned was the teenager about Britain today that he applied to go on a special TV election programme for youngsters to grill senior politicians from the three biggest political parties.

Akul, aged 13, who underwent a tough audition to get on the show, said: “I am interested in politics because it affects our country’s future and our future.”

The Bolton School pupil was one of four children, aged from 11 to 13, chosen to appear in the Bafta award-winning children’s series, Election, to quiz politicians about their worries.

He put his question to Labour’s Alan Johnson; Conservative leader David Cameron and Lembit Opik, from the Liberal Democrats.

Akul, who lives in Bolton, is concerned about the size of the government debt and believes it is a problem for society in the future. He asked the three politicians about the economy. He said: “It will be my generation that will be paying off this debt and we are not even working yet.”

Akul added: “I didn’t believe everything the politicians said and we would question their answers, so it turned into a bit of debate. I was the first on but it was more exciting than nerve racking.”

The political interviews were filmed in front of an audience of 140 children.

The show is being presented by Angellica Bell and the debate was chaired by political commentator Andrew Neil. Sharon Osbourne, Julia Bradbury and Evan Davis also made cameo appearances as celebrity mentors.

Other questions asked on the programme were concerned with knife crime and street safety, the Afghanistan conflict and the environment. At the end, the audience voted on which of the four issues they felt was most important to children.

The show will be screened on BBC1 on Thursday at 4.35pm.