Former deputy prime minister John Prescott and 2008 London mayoral candidate Brian Paddick will be among the panellists on tonight’s Question Time Special (10:35pm, BBC1, BBC1 HD), tackling the recent social unrest across England.

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Prescott and Paddick – also a one-time deputy assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan Police – will be joined by John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York; Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator; and Camila Batmanghelidjh, author and founder of two charities helping vulnerable young people across London.

Batmanghelidjh has been a high-profile commentator on the riots, making the point that those involved feel "cut adrift from society".

The panel will discuss the events of the last five days, and how they believe the root causes of the unrest should be tackled.

And tomorrow, on the day that Parliament is recalled early, young people will get a chance to ask questions of their own as BBC3 hosts Riots: Young Voters’ Question Time.

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Among the panellists on the programme are Conservative candidate and "Big Society" ambassador Shaun Bailey, Labour MP Stella Creasey, Adam Deacon, an actor and rapper from Hackney who starred in the film Kidulthood, and recently directed Anuvahood, and community campaigner and outreach worker Sheldon Thomas.

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