THE son of BBC Question Time host David Dimbleby spoke of his joy at being offered a place at Oxford University after gaining a string of top-grade A-levels.

Fred Dimbleby, 18, secured A*s in government and politics, history and religious studies at Brighton College to win a place reading history at Keble College.

His family is part of a broadcasting dynasty that also includes his uncle Jonathan, the host of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? and late grandfather Richard Dimbleby, the BBC's first war correspondent at the outbreak of the Second World War.

After receiving his A-level results, overjoyed Fred said he was not sure whether he wanted to join the renowned list of Dimblebys involved in broadcast journalism.

Instead, following his degree, he hopes to do a law conversion course and head to America to work in advocacy helping people subjected to human rights abuses and death penalty cases.

The beaming teenager said: "I'm a bit wiped out. It's that period of waiting. I slept just for about one hour last night so it's very nice to get the paper."

Asked whether broadcast journalism was a career option for him, he said: "I think it's something I'm unsure about. It's a difficult choice, because in the UK broadcasting is changing so much that you are not really sure where to place your chips.

"I think advocacy and journalism are very similar. It's about questioning them and asking them about things, and trying to build a case and argument from that."

He said he faced no pressure from his father to go into broadcasting, saying of his parents: "They are very chilled out; in the same way Mum didn't pressure me to go into psychology. There was no pressure at all. They are very supportive of what I want to do."

Fred said he was going to celebrate in the "traditional" student way before getting his head down to some reading before the start of three years at Oxford.

As well as hosting Question Time, David Dimbleby has fronted major special outside broadcasts including the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Queen Mother, and programmes for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

He started his BBC career as a Bristol-based news reporter after studying politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) at Christ Church, Oxford, and he has appeared in network programmes since 1962.