You've been Tangoed!

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Matt Bond01/07/2009

A GINGER tom cat called Tango stole centre stage from a panel of political pundits and television personalities on Thursday evening when he strolled nonchalantly on to the stage during BBC’s Question Time.
As politicians, pundits and David Dimbleby himself discussed topics as diverse as the wearing of burkhas, the situation in Iran and MPs’ expenses, Tango took a break from patrolling the school grounds to enter the studio.
Question Time was visiting Newquay to broadcast its weekly mix of topical analysis from the specially assembled stage at Treviglas community college.
Panel guests included Jim Knight, Minister for employment and welfare reform, Pauline Neville-Jones, Conservative shadow security minister, and ex-The Sun editor and outspoken columnist Kelvin MacKenzie.
Recording was well underway when television floor staff were sent into a panic as Tango crept in through a back door, ducked under a television mixing desk and made his way under the assembled seating.
It was only moments later that the feline appeared on set strolling around the back of the panel un-noticed, or ignored, by all except local Liberal Democrat MP Julia Goldsworthy.
A quick thinking stage manager then grabbed Tango before he could create any more of a storm and returned him back outside leading onlookers to suggest the show had been ‘Tangoed’, in recognition of the phrase made famous by a nineties’ fizzy drink advertising campaign.
Tango the cat is owned by Jackie Ellery, who works in the school canteen and lives nearby. She was watching Question Time from the comfort of her living room when the one-year-old tom appeared on screen.
"My friend phoned me up to say 'have you seen your cat on the telly'", said Jackie. "I'd been doing something else at the time but rewound it and there he was.
"It's lovely; he's a mischievous cat anyway, and because we live so close to the school he’s often in school grounds. The sixth formers know him really well. He must have known something was going on."
Since his fleeting appearance on national TV Tango has become somewhat of a local hit, appearing on the internet and, according to Jackie, has even had people discussing his antics on popular website Twitter.
Talking of his new found celebrity status Jackie added: "Everyone is coming up to me because I work in the school and telling me about Tango's appearance. I've even been asked to get his paw-tograph."