Newsnight
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- For the CNN programme see NewsNight with Aaron Brown
Template:Infobox British television Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22.30 and 23.20 on weekdays on BBC Two.
The programme's main presenters are Jeremy Paxman (1989-), Gavin Esler (2003-) and Kirsty Wark (1993-), and the programme's political editor, Martha Kearney. Emily Maitlis, formerly of Sky News and BBC London News, is to join the roster of regular presenters during 2006. From time to time (usually when one or more of the regular anchors are on holiday), the programme is presented by other people such as Jon Sopel or PM's Eddie Mair.
Newsnight also has a semi-separate arts slot known as Newsnight Review. In Scotland, a controversial opt-out slot, Newsnight Scotland, replaces the final twenty minutes of Newsnight from Monday to Thursday.
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History
Newsnight has been running since 30 January 1980. Peter Snow (1980-1997) presented the programme for its first 17 years and still helps out for special broadcasts, such as those covering wars and elections. Other former presenters include Peter Hobday, Charles Wheeler (latterly the BBC's chief reporter in Washington DC), John Tusa, Olivia O'Leary, Francine Stock, Sarah Montague, and Jeremy Vine (1999-2002). Vine's style grew so close to that of the incumbent main presenter, Paxman, that the latter was said to refer to the former as Mini-me.
Newsnight also appeared (in repackaged form) on BBC World Service Television and its successor, BBC World until 1999.
Interviews
Newsnight remains the UK's flagship television news and current affairs programme and regularly breaks major stories, such as the fact that the leader of the London suicide bombers (July 7 2005) had been monitored by British security services. The programme also features interviews with high-profile figures, including Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Jacques Chirac and several other world leaders.
One of Newsnight's most famous interviews took place on 13 May 1997, between Jeremy Paxman and Michael Howard, who had until 13 days earlier been Home Secretary. Howard was questioned regarding a meeting he had convened with the head of the Prison Service, regarding the potential dismissal of the head of Parkhurst Prison, following a well-publicised jail-break. The head of the Prison Service had argued against dismissing the head of Parkhurst. During one continuous sequence Paxman put the same question - "Did you threaten to overrule him?" - twelve times (not fourteen as is widely believed<ref>BBC News website: Newsnight 25 - Paxman versus Howard</ref>) to Howard, who on each occasion gave a qualified or evasive answer, such as "I did not overrule him".
This was later revealed to be a stalling strategy by Paxman on being told that the studio was having technical trouble with one of the reports which was to follow. In 2004 Paxman broached the subject with Howard — then Conservative leader — again; Howard laughed the question off, but did say he "didn't" threaten to overrule the Head of the Prison Service. The clip was later repeated on the satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You, and has been voted the best Newsnight moment ever by members of the show's production team.
Newsnight Review
On Friday evenings Newsnight proper gives way at 23.00 to Newsnight Review, a 35-minute slot presented by Wark, or occasionally Tom Sutcliffe or Tim Marlowe, in which events in the arts are discussed by a panel of pundits. Mark Lawson was the programme's original presenter in its Late Review format as part of BBC2's The Late Show strand, and presented the programme frequently since its becoming Newsnight Review in 2000. In December 2005 Lawson retired from the main presenting job. His replacements as presenter currently include Martha Kearney.
Stock market update vs. Weather
Traditionally at the end of the programme the there is a short stock market update. In 2005 Newsnight's editor, Peter Barron, replaced it with a 30-second weather report, arguing that the market data was available via the Internet and that weather would be more useful. However the change bought a flurry of complaints. On one occasion Jeremy Paxman said in his usual sarcastic tone: "So finally and controversially - tomorrow's weather forecast. It's a veritable smorgasbord. Sun, rain, thunder, hail, snow, cold, wind. Not worth going to work really." Another occasion saw him quip: "It's April, what do you expect? Take an umbrella." Yet he claimed he was happy presenting the weather.
Consequently, Newsnight conducted a telephone poll. Michael Fish, a former weather forecaster was seen arguing in favour of the weather report, while Norman Lamont (former Chancellor of the Exchequer) campaigned for the market update. 62% of viewers voted in favour of the market update, and as a result it returned on Monday, 18 April, 2005.
Taking up another populist cause, for a week at the end of January 2006, Newsnight played out its closing credits accompanied by the Radio 4 Theme which was facing the axe from BBC Radio 4.
Newsnight via other media
Newsnight is now available via broadband for viewing up to 24 hours post-broadcast. In March 2006 the programme launched a weekly Podcast, presented by Jeremy Paxman, and a blog by business correspondent Paul Mason.
Footnotes
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