SHE has interviewed a host of senior politicians and been shown the ropes by seasoned journalists such as Jon Snow from Channel 4 News.

Now a young Basingstoke woman is celebrating after a documentary she helped to make will be shown on national TV today.

Shelley Phelps was one of 10 young filmmakers, aged between 14 and 25, who spent three months producing the 40-minute documentary called Some Truth About Youth.

Organised by the British Youth Council (BYC), the project was commissioned to show the positive side of young people and how they can make a difference in society.

The 23-year-old interviewed various politicians including Peter Mandelson, Hilary Armstrong and Peter Hain. She also worked alongside The Times newspaper’s political commentator Daniel Finkelstein.

Shelley, of Bach Close, Brighton Hill, said: “Making the documentary was absolutely fantastic. I have certainly found that with participation comes liberation, and I hope that the film inspires other young people to start making a positive difference to society.

“The highlight of the documentary for me was interviewing Peter Mandelson, who is without a doubt one of my political heroes.

“Working on the documentary has helped me immensely in my career and I am extremely grateful to Heritage Lottery, BYC and all those who took part in the documentary.”

It’s a double celebration for Shelley, whose research and interview roles helped her land a job as a parliamentary researcher for Labour MP Hilary Armstrong as well as a freelance spot on ePolitix, a politics news website.

Shelley, who is hoping to stand as a Labour councillor for Brighton Hill next year, added: “They are both my dream jobs. I wanted to go into a political research so it was an absolute fantastic opportunity to get me into that career.”

Shelley, a former Richard Aldworth Community School and Queen Mary’s College student, studied History and Politics at the University of Warwick.

The documentary, which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will be shown on the Community Channel today.