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Press Releases
What The Papers Say: 50 years young and still keeping journalism in the news
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What The Papers Say, one of the world's longest-running television programmes, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The 50th anniversary edition of this irreverent and widely respected press review goes out on Saturday 4 November 2006 on BBC TWO, with David Aaronovitch of The Times.
Presented by journalists and media commentators, this weekly ten-minute review of the nation's newspapers is essential viewing and a firm part of our national media culture.
The programme mixes tabloid humour and voice-overs with solid broadsheet authority, examining press coverage of the week's news.
Jim White of the Daily Telegraph, a regular presenter for 12 years, was inspired by the show.
He says: "When I was a kid, it was always my ambition to go on it, and one of the main reasons I became a journalist. I used to watch it every week on the telly and was fascinated by it.
"It seemed the most glamorous programme on TV and I thought, 'Blimey, this is brilliant.'
Now screened on Saturdays on BBC TWO from October to March, 'Papers' is still made by Granada – the only surviving programme from the channel's launch year in 1956.
Sarah Murch, Executive Producer at Granada, says: "Over the last 50 years, What The Papers Say has not only charted every major news story, it has also reflected the changing face of the British press.
"It's a privilege for the current team to be custodians of the show - such a big part of Granada's history."
That first programme was presented by Brian Inglis, deputy editor of The Spectator.
More than 100 other presenters have followed him, including journalists such as WF Deedes, Janet Street-Porter, Jane Moore, Matthew Parris, Paul Foot, Bill Grundy, Simon Hoggart, Harold Evans, Auberon Waugh, Alistair Campbell and Ian Hislop.
Others taking the What the Papers Say chair included the then Labour MP Roy Hattersley, Bill Morris of the Transport and General Workers Union, and presenters such as Michael Parkinson and Russell Harty.
The earliest producers of the show were among some of the giants of British television. As well as Denis Forman, 'Papers' has been produced by Jeremy Isaacs and David Plowright.
Presenters do write their own scripts. Kevin Maguire of the Daily Mirror, also a regular presenter for 10 years, says: "I rather enjoy it. It's like writing a mini play. You're the narrator bringing in these three voices.
"The trick of it is to let them take over and have less of you. Your own quirky views and prejudices can show through, everybody is fair game, you don't have to stand on ceremony."
The actors and voice-over artists reading out the press quotations have included stalwarts such as Daphne Oxenford, who spent more than 30 years with the programme.
The current team of Jimmy Hibbert, Jayne Dowell and Martin Oldfield take pride in their precise imitations of those quoted, also faithfully reading headlines in the style of the press title featured.
Jim White laughs: "The researcher does a list of all the accents of each person featured, and will sometimes ring up titles to find out what accent to use. They might say 'a bit posh' or 'like a mad colonel' so there can be a revenge element to this."
Each December, the end of year review programme also includes the results of the prestigious What The Papers Say Awards.
Notes to Editors
What The Papers Say launched on 5 November 1956, just six months after the start of Granada TV.
It ran on Granada as part of ITV until 1982, when it switched to the new Channel 4, then in 1989 it moved to BBC TWO – the first show to be made by an ITV company for the BBC – where it has stayed ever since.
Only Panorama (first broadcast in 1953) is older than What The Papers Say. The Sky At Night was first broadcast in 1957; Songs of Praise did not air until 1961; and University Challenge (1962) is a mere undergraduate.
More than 100 presenters have chaired the show since 1956, including recently: Andrew Rawnsley, David Aaronovitch, WF Deedes, Kevin Maguire, Jane Moore, Vicki Woods, Dominik Diamond, Jim White, Brian Reade, Martin Samuel, Matthew Parris, Quentin Letts, Mark Steel, Marina Hyde, Jackie Ashley and Janet Street-Porter.
The What The Papers Say Awards were introduced in 1957 and are now a fixture in the British press calendar.
The awards are traditionally handed out by major politicians, including: James Callaghan, Neil Kinnock, Michael Heseltine, Tony Blair (as leader of the opposition), Michael Portillo and Robin Cook.
Prize winners have included John Pilger, Bernard Levin, Keith Waterhouse, Conor Cruise O'Brien, Harold Evans, Max Hastings, Andrew Marr, WF Deedes and Piers Morgan.
The distinctive theme music is English Dance No 5 by Sir Malcolm Arnold, who died last month.
EDA
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