Kirsty Wark says Newsnight ‘leaner and meaner' as she receives Bafta fellowship
The Scottish journalist, who joined the BBC current affairs programme in 1993 as a presenter, left in July after more than 30 years.
She reflected on Newsnight's importance amid a 'world in turmoil' after picking up Bafta's highest television accolade on Sunday night.
Wark had previously revealed she had found out about the fellowship on February 3 – her 70th birthday.
Speaking at the winners' press conference, she said: 'If Newsnight wasn't there, they'd (the BBC) have to reinvent it.
'I would bet £500 right now that Newsnight is safe because we have a world in turmoil, and the news function of the BBC is terrific, but sometimes at the end of the night, all you want to do is sit down with a cup of cocoa, or a whisky, or a glass of wine and go, 'what just happened today?'
'Newsnight's role, I think has always been to analyse and work out what's been happening during the day and bring it to the audience with the best guests.
'And that's still happening, and they've taken the programme to 30 minutes.
'But look, it survived that. And it's, maybe you say it's leaner and meaner but actually you still need that programme at the end of the day to say, 'what just happened?''
In 2023 it was announced that Newsnight would be cut to a 30-minute programme as part of wider plans to make £500 million of savings at the BBC.
Wark, who has been honoured for her exceptional contribution to television, has interviewed a variety of prominent politicians and cultural figures throughout her career, including former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Australian author Germaine Greer, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and The Libertines' Pete Doherty.
The journalist began her career at the corporation when she was accepted into the broadcaster's graduate trainee scheme in the 1970s.
She started at BBC Scotland as one of two graduates on a one-year radio research assistant contract and moved to TV after a spell on Radio 4's The World At One.
She worked as a producer on Reporting Scotland and went on to host the current affairs weekly Seven Days before she joined Newsnight as a presenter.
In 2001, she became a regular presenter of Newsnight Review and subsequently The Review Show.
The BBC axed long-running arts programme The Review Show in 2018, which had been on air in different formats for more than 20 years, and was also presented by Martha Kearney.
Wark has fronted documentaries on social media and taboos surrounding the menopause, and has also explored the stories of some of Scotland's most influential female pioneers in BBC series The Women Who Changed Modern Scotland.
In 2014, she was nominated for one of literature's less popular prizes – the Bad Sex In Fiction Award – for The Legacy Of Elizabeth Pringle, but lost out to The Age Of Magic by former Booker Prize winner Ben Okri.
The University of St Andrews has also awarded Wark an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt), the highest postdoctoral degree awarded in the fields of arts, humanities and social sciences.
Previous recipients of the Bafta fellowship include Baroness Floella Benjamin, actress Meera Syal and comedians Sir Billy Connolly and Dawn French.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Race Across The World winners revealed as pair admit they failed to keep BBC show victory secret
IT was a tense sprint to the finish line in tonight's finale of Race Across The World. The final episode followed the pairs travelling from Goa, India, to the southernmost tip of India, Kanniyakumari, 1000km away. 3 The final four pairs were whittled down to one Credit: BBC 3 Caroline and Tom were crowned winners of the show Credit: BBC But after a 51-day cross-continent race, it was mother and son duo Caroline and Tom who took home the £20,000 prize. The pair, who were leading the race from its fifth episode earlier this month, beat brothers Melvyn and Brian, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia and young couple Fin and Sioned to the finish point. And it was an emotional moment for the duo, as mum Caroline broke down in tears on the big reveal that the all-important guest book was empty on their arrival. Celebrating their win, Caroline broke down in tears in emotional scenes, telling her son: 'We must never doubt ourselves, ever, ever, ever again.' Tom added: "I'm lost for words, I can't believe it. "Fifty one days racing through countries I never thought I'd go to. "I never thought we'd come this far, I never thought we'd achieve so much, and I've never been prouder of my mum – she got me through it.' Caroline and Tom were closely followed by sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, who arrived at the finish line just shy of 20 minutes later. Forty five minutes behind the winners, Fin and Sioned arrived in third place, while brothers Brian and Melvyn took a further three hours to reach the end. On their way home from the series, the duo revealed that while they had sworn themselves to secrecy about winning the cash, it didn't take long to spill the beans. Race Across The World pays heartbreaking tribute to show star Sam Gardiner after tragic death age 24 Caroline revealed: '[We told] my husband, in the car on the way home - we couldn't hide it!' Tom added: 'We had made a pact on the plane not to tell anybody, but within minutes of seeing him we let that one go, it was so hard to keep it in.' However, the mother and son duo still haven't decided what they're going to do with the cash. Tom concluded: "I haven't really thought about what I'm doing with the money yet. "I don't want to be stupid and waste it. Mum and I want to go backpacking again, so some of it will be used for that." The reunion episode of Race Across The World airs June 18 at 9pm on BBC One and you can catch up on all episodes on BBC iPlayer.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Who won Race Across the World today? BBC final recap
See which of the four teams managed to win Race Across the World series 5 🏃♂️ Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Race Across the World has crowned the winners for series 5. The winning pair walks away with the grand prize after the final leg. But which team made it to the last checkpoint first? The fifth winners of Race Across the World have been crowned after a rollercoaster final on the BBC. The remaining teams faced one last dash to reach the last checkpoint on a truly mammoth journey. After eight weeks - and around 14,000km - four pairs successfully completed the journey from the Great Wall of China to Kanyakumari in India. It is an incredible journey that has taken them across two of the most populous countries in the world - via Nepal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, all good things must come to an end, as they say. The final of Race Across the World's fifth series took place tonight (June 11) and just over seven hours separated the top three teams heading into the last leg. But which of the pairs managed to run out as victors at the end of the race? Here's all you need to know: Who won Race Across the World series 5? Race Across the World series 5 finalists | BBC Heading into the final leg of the mammoth race from China to the bottom of India, mother and son duo Caroline and Tom were in the lead. They reclaimed the top spot at the end of last week's seventh leg - as then-leaders Brian and Melvyn saw themselves tumble to the bottom of the leader board after opting for the rural route and avoiding Mumbai and falling 17 hours behind. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Caroline and Tom had a nearly seven hour lead over sisters Elizabeth and Letita. Young Welsh couple Fin and Sioned were ever so slightly further behind at seven hours and 48 minutes - having clawed back from a 33 hour deficit earlier in the season. It set things up for a dramatic final dash across the southern states of India. But who made it to Kanyakumari first? Caroline and Tom were the first to reach the last checkpoint and thus were crowned winners of Race Across the World series five. What does the winner of Race Across the World get? The winning couple walk away with a £20,000 jackpot - as well as bragging rights of course. It has been the same prize since the show began back in 2019. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fortunately for fans, the show is not completely over as there is still one episode left in the season. Race Across the World will be back next week (June 18) with a reunion special that will reunite the five teams six months after the end of the race. It promises unseen footage, behind-the-scenes insights and plenty more. Find out how to watch it here.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Race Across The World pair win with 19 minutes spare in closest final ever
Race Across The World has come to a dramatic end as one pair have cinched victory with just 19 minutes to spare as the teams raced across China, Nepal and India Caroline and Tom Bridge became the first mother and son to win Race Across the World last night, with a margin of just 19 minutes - making it the closest final in the BBC show's history. After 51 days of racing on land across China, Nepal and India, covering a distance of 14,000km for the equivalent price of the air fare, and without bank cards or smartphones, the pair were hugely emotional when they came first. Turning the page to discover they'd clinched the £20k prize, an emotional Caroline cried: 'We must never doubt ourselves again. Ever, ever, ever.' Writing their names in the book, Tom said: 'That's a really good feeling, I'm lost for words, I can't believe it, 51 days racing through countries I never thought I'd go to, I never thought we'd come this far, I never thought we'd achieve so much and I've never been prouder of my mum – she got me through it.' The winners had started the final leg, from Panaji in Goa, nearly seven hours ahead of Letitia and Elizabeth. Sprinting to the finish line in Kanniyakumari - India's most southerly point - the sisters came in second place, having remained consistently strong competitors throughout the contest. They were followed by teenage couple Fin Gough and Sioned Clay, from Wales, while brothers Brian and Melvyn Mole finished fourth after leaving on the final leg 17 hours after race leaders Caroline and Tom. The show's 8million viewers have learned that housewife Caroline, 60, applied to take part after feeling she'd missed out on life by being a housewife, while Tom, 21, revealed he'd been expelled from school for smoking marijuana, which resulted in him missing his GCSEs. In recent years, he has worked as a labourer on a building site. After their win, Caroline declared: 'My God, this race has meant so much. We've learnt so much, we've enjoyed it, and to actually win it as well as to have the experience is the best thing that could have happened to us.' Tom agreed: 'Doing the experience in itself is winning but to actually get to that book first and open it and to see that it was empty was something that I'll remember for the rest of my life.' Having vowed to keep the secret of their win to themselves, Caroline admitted she'd told her husband, Christian, a barrister, within minutes of getting in the car on the way home to Bury St Edmunds from the airport. Calling the trip her 'lifetime achievement', Caroline said that the prize money would go towards Tom setting himself up as a handyman. 'Thomas is starting up a business and it's been inspired by India and I'd like to help him with that,' she said. Tom, an only child, added: 'I don't want to be stupid and waste it. Mum and I want to go backpacking again so some of it will go towards that.' During the series it also emerged that Tom has cerebral palsy, which affects his right side. 'I feel like my left hand just does what it's told, whereas my right hand feels like it's disconnected from my brain, but it's something I don't really talk about,' he told viewers. At the end of the race Letitia and Elizabeth were disappointed not to have won but still 'proud of us' for coming such a close second. Sioned and Fin arrived 26 minutes later and agreed they had 'done well' with Fin reasoning: 'It would have been incredible - but we can't all come first.' Brothers Brian and Melvyn, in their 60s, made up huge time on the final leg, finishing just over three hours behind the leaders. 'We've done very well actually,' they agreed. 'Really pleased for the guys that have won it. Beer? Desperately, and definitely.'
