• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

SERGEANT _JOHN As the election reaches fever pitch, ITN's political editor is in his element, although he admits he might be overdosing.Just as well then that he's got a comedic side to keep him - and us - sane ... "I stopped calling Blair 'Tony' when he became PM" As we proceed towards election day, this?' I had a fantasy I'd be left on a desert island and have to ITV Election 200 Thursday ITV pummelled by humbug, tawdry gimmicks, reinvent everything, so I did a lot of science and was obsessed and some idealism, there are few more to quite an alarming extent thinking I'd have to know how the amiable and authoritative guides than the slightly dishevelled, petrol engine works, and so on. I'd love not to have been like wispy-haired 56-year-old who started his career as a stand-up that, but it's a neurosis. My father [a parson] was an obsessive comedian, spent 30 years with the BBC, and is now ITN's politi- in a different way, an intellectual who learnt 30 languages. I cal editor, on screen daily during the campaign between eight asked him in my early twenties, 'Dad, have you been a suc- in the morning and 10.30 at night. "It's a great buzz moment cess?' and he replied, 'Of course. Because I'm your father,' for all of us," he says, admitting he retains undiminished which was neat because it works on so many different levels: enthusiasm and a heroic - some might say naive or self-serving either, 'Don't ask me that, you cheeky bugger,' or 'If you ques- - lack of cynicism, even though this is the ninth election he tion me, you question yourself.' He was a clever man, but has covered. "It worries me. Shouldn't I be cynical, or bored? nice, a great figure in my life. I have a brother who was an Why am I so excited by running about? Perhaps it's a personal actor and is now a builder and a sister who's a social worker." problem and I should be interviewed in silhouette - 'I find His two sons, with his wife of 32 years, Mary, a journalist who myself overdosing on elections. Please help.' became a teacher, have followed him into TV. He treads the tricky line of political reporting His own career was less precise. At Oxford he with panache and impartiality, swatting aside gained a second-class degree in PPE (philoso- crass attempts by party managers to "soften" phy, politics and economics), was a leading light his approach in their favour. "It offends me in revues and contemplated going into theatre. more than if someone tries to After with Diana at the anything spin 1* 1 acting Quick Edinburgh me a line they know I'll ignore. I always think Festival, Alan Bennett chose him for his sketch less of the person. The public is amused by show On the Margin (which won a comedy of politicians trying to manipulate them, so the the year award in 1967). He was surprised to be chances of silliness and excess are very great, chosen ahead of Oxford Revue contemporary which is part of the fun. Normally politics is Michael Palin, but recently, he adds, "I heard a followed by a few million, and the joy now is recording, and realised I came across strongly. you get 20 million. It's like saying, 'I have a train I had a presence on stage that was quite con- set... oh, you're interested in train sets, too.' trolled. It helps in the job now. If there's may- I'm made weary by people saying how boring it hem behind you and you have to put difficult is. The idea that life will be the same the day after argument into context, the pitfalls are huge. the election as before is simply not true. It never It's like being on stage, and you couldn't do it if is. Our system is wonderfully imprecise and you had no theatrical background." although it's a foregone conclusion, as much as Eventually he decided that journalism pro- anything ever is, that Labour will win, imagine the sensation vided more potential than acting, "but it was a close-run thing. if their lead is just 26 seats - 'Blair scrapes home in election When you're young you want to feel you can get to the top and debacle.' If the Tories win it will be a historic breakthrough." I knew the competition in comedy was brilliant. I watched Impenetrable minutiae and preoccupations of the chatter- people I knew, like Jonathan Miller, John Fortune, Alan j ing class that haunt elections are mother's milk to him, a self- Bennett, whom I revere as some of the truly great men of our : confessed obsessive. "I had an alarming degree of curiosity as times, and saw the turmoil they went through. We were revue I a child, and came into the world thinking, 'What the hell is artists, funny and irreverent, but I wondered what I'd do when [� �I stopped being a charming, funny ask the hardest questions in the most young man and become middle- polite way. I want to unnerve them as aged. It's like being in a pop group. If much as possible. The older you get, Tony Blair had done better with Ugly the more they put up with it. Younger Rumours, where would he be now?" correspondents ask an earnest ques- He failed to be accepted as a BBC tion with a flushed face, and find trainee. "I made the mistake of themselves dismissed, which is being honest and saying I'd like to A unfair, but one of the joys of political work in many areas. It was naive. Jj\ reporting is no one is killed or suffers I should have restricted myself to violence by whatever throw at them. an interest in internal security "I stopped calling Blair 'Tony' systems." The Liverpool Post when he became Prime Minister. It's and Echo gave him a job as a sub- not brilliant, because we've known editor for three years, before he joined each other a long time, but it's one way the BBC in 1970 as a radio reporter, of staying aloof. If you support one covering conflicts in Vietnam, side you shouldn't do my job. It's also Cyprus and Ireland. He became wrong for political reporters to go into chief political correspondent in 1988 politics. I would never do that because and was very upset when John Cole I inhabit a different cultural space retired as political editor and he was and wouldn't be any good because I passed over in favour of Robin see too many sides of a situation. I Oakley, formerly of The Times. He probably have power, reluctantly, to cauterised the rivalry with wit. When influence events. It's not real power Oakley "dried" on a live transmission, in the sense I can say, 'I don't like that he commiserated, "Don't worry. It's fellow Prescott - finish him.' But if a almost happened to all of us." government gets into a silly tangle, I "We worked together for seven can point out they're inconsistent." years. I made it clear we couldn't row, He disagrees with Jeremy Paxman's so we had a non-aggression pact. supposed attitude to political inter- Robin was a gent, incredibly nice views - 'Why is this bastard lying to to me. I liked him as a person, me?' "It was a mistake to say that. The but not the position I was in, joy of our life is these 'bastards' are not which was unfair. I don'twant to lying all the time. Sometimes they're turn this into a moan because the guilty of omission, or desperately trying BBC gave me fantastic opportu- to put a gloss on their affairs, but the is a nities and nurtured me. They W idea they're mendacious counsel realised early on I was a survivor of despair. If they're that bad, we and they worried, 'Don't encour- shouldn't report their activities. We age the blighter. He'll think he's at the most serious level, but can't should report them to the police." good, and become overblown.' They ^^^^^^^ writing a deal with a recorded show. But what about spin doctors, and were probably right. Once reporters perspective paper. There was a "There's a terrible snobbery in, attempts to influence which photo believe they're important, they're dead sense of, 'Yes, no, maybe we should and about, TV. When I said I was opportunities are provided for bul- meat, unemployable. The best give do this, my indecision is final - but it's appearing with Dale Winton on letins? "There's always tension, but I an air of incompetence, so people your fault ifitgoes wrong.' One has to Christmas Eve a couple of years ago wish the phrase 'spin doctor' hadn't - help them. Surely you realise that? remember George Orwell hadn't one of the best things I did that year been invented. It's exciting to think of "Lots of administrators like to think been to Russia when he wrote 1984, -friends said, 'John, what will you do clinical figures controlling us, whereas my sort of work is trivial because they but he had worked for the BBC." next?' as if a gent like me is too classy often what you see is someone desper- hate the truth that the best jobs in The image of dry political reporter to appear with him." The lure of per- ately trying to explain the inexplicable.

Load more

  13

Copy Link