Talented youngsters were filmed live for a BBC TV broadcast at the Dagenham Civic Centre, but a technical fault meant a top teacher and the Dagenham Girl Pipers missed out.

As a gesture to their studio guest Barking-bred musician Billy Bragg, the One Show programme screened a live clip from the council building last night.

It was supposed to feature a variety of talented people from in and around the borough, and kicked off with their roving reporter Iwan Thomas interviewing the East London Gymnastic Club and Lauren Marbe, 16, from Loughton, who has a higher IQ than Albert Einstein.

But due to sound problems the broadcast was cut short just as Iwan began speaking to William Ford Primary School teacher Fiona Goodwin, who is in the running for a prestigious Pearson Teaching Award.

Presenters Alex Jones and Matt Baker apologised and explained to Billy that the Dagenham Girl Pipers had been up next.

The Bard of Barking, who performed a song on the show, said he was a big fan of the Pipers and recalled seeing them in Wimpy when he was a child.

Barking and Dagenham Council hired the Civic Centre chamber room to the BBC. The art-deco building has also to film documentaries, dramas, films and music videos including: the BBC’s Hustle, Eastenders and was converted into a Shanghai bank for an episode of Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

To watch the One Show clip go to bbc.co.uk/iplayer.