Peers were expecting a long debate about physical punishment when it came before the House of Lords last week.
One and a half hours was the best estimate when they began discussing a ban on hitting children at 3.19pm last Monday.
But such was the media interest in the issue that it seemed that Lords from all sides of the house wanted the opportunity to contribute. The chamber was packed, with around double the attendance of previous debates on the Children Bill.
This time, more than 400 Lords and Ladies were there to make their presence felt on the red benches, and in the end the debate did not finish until 6.51pm.
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