Latest news with #JanLeeming
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Veteran newsreader Jan Leeming, 83, takes swipe at current generation of TV anchors for their 'bad pronunciation, mumbled speech and heavy accents'
She joined the BBC in 1990, a year after Margaret Thatcher got the keys to 10 Downing Street, and was one of a new wave of female news anchors. But Jan Leeming, 83, has taken a swipe at the current generation of newsreaders, criticising their pronunciation, mumbled speech and heavy accents. She wrote on X earlier this month: 'Am I just showing my age being so picky, but surely a national newsreader should be aware of correct pronunciation. 'Just heard "grievious" twice from an ITV newsreader. The word is grievous. The other is mischievious - it's mischievous - three syllables not four. 'We had spelling tests every week. I suppose today one doesn't have to bother. AI and predictive texting will do it all for you. 'You still have to speak with correct pronunciation and clarity. Have given up on mumbled speech and heavy accents and hope I'll get the gist eventually. '"Ss" for the presenters and newsreaders who cannot pronounce fifth and sixth - even some of my favourites. Oh, don't forget February and jewellery. 'If you aren't taught and corrected, then you perpetuate the incorrect pronunciation. And the ubiquitous "like" used every few words by a large proportion of the young. It is lazy.' Alongside her presenting, Ms Leeming has become equally well known for her financial troubles – she only appeared on I'm A Celebrity because she was 'flat broke' – and her cheating husbands. Her post comes after crossbench peer Lord Jones, of Birmingham criticised BBC Olympics presenter Alex Scott for spoiling coverage of the 2020 Games with her accent. 'Enough! I can't stand it anymore!' he wrote on X. 'Alex Scott spoils a good presentational job on the BBC Olympics Team with her very noticeable inability to pronounce her "g"s at the end of a word. 'Can't someone give these people elocution lessons? I fear that it may be aped by youngsters along the lines of the use of the moronic interrogative originally caused by "Neighbours"; on behalf of the English Language ... Help!' And two years ago, BBC newsreader Nick Owen pronounced Jay Z's name wrongly on an episode of Midlands Today, saying Jay Zed rather than Jay Zee. Leeming's post attracted more than 236,000 hits, prompting her to write: 'Goodness Gracious Me (think Peter Sellars....) 'Can't believe it - 236K hits on my comments about incorrect pronunciation! Really did stir up a hornets' nest. At least I'm not alone. NIGHT NIGHT ALL.' She even hinted at her dislike for deputy PM Angela Rayner, nicknamed Two Homes Rayner, who has a strong Mancunian accent. Responding to a tweet which said: 'If it's good enough for the Dep PM - nucleer - then it must be okay,' she replied: 'Please don't go down that road. I could be locked up for my opinion of that person.' Leeming, voted TV personality of the year after she presented the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, sparked outrage last year after she complained she no longer got work because she was too 'old', spoke RP and didn't tick 'modern boxes'. She later clarified on GB News that she didn't mean that she was too posh for TV. 'I'm not posh,' she said. 'I grew up in Southeast London - Woolwich. My father had had a wonderful education in India and he spoke beautifully. 'He sounded a little bit like Richard Burton. And when I started sort of, you know, "talking like that", he sent me to speech and drama lessons. Thank you very much, father, because I've earned my living. 'What this follower was saying was basically that he could understand me; I enunciate. I'm not against accents, not at all. In fact, some of them are very endearing. 'I mean, I love Eamonn Holmes, and you know Gloria Hunniford, when she started 40 odd years ago, had a very strong Northern Ireland accent and she moderated it.'
Scotsman
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
a look back at the 1982 Grand Final
It was the first time the Eurovision Song Contest had been staged in the north of England - but there was something missing Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox 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... 1982 was the first time Eurovision had been held in the north of England, and the decision to stage it in Harrogate raised some eyebrows France had controversially pulled out ahead of the contest, along with Greece, bemoaning the 'mediocrity' of the entries Hopes were high for the UK but a first-time winner ended up storming to victory When Harrogate hosted the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, it was the first time the event had been held in the north of England. It had previously been held in London, Brighton and Edinburgh, but this time the BBC chose to stage it at the newly-built Harrogate International Centre. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad France brands contest a 'monument to insanity' The 1982 Eurovision Song Contest was held at the newly-built Harrogate International Centre | National World There was something missing from that year's event, following the controversial withdrawals by both France and Greece, which meant just 18 countries participated that year. France declined to enter well in advance, with a spokesperson bemoaning the 'absence of talent and the mediocrity of the songs', and memorably branding the competition a 'monument to insanity'. Greece then pulled out just a few weeks before the contest, with the country's culture minister reportedly claiming the chosen entry, 'Sarantapente Kopelies', performed by Themis Adamantidis was lacking in quality. 'Where is Harrogate?' The 1982 Euovision Song Contest was held at the newly-built Harrogate International Centre | National World The decision to stage the famous event in a North Yorkshire spa town which few people outside the UK had probably heard of did raise some eyebrows, though it was seen by many as an opportunity to raise the area's international profile. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The size of the venue didn't help persuade the doubters. Although it could host 2,000 people, a third of the seats reportedly had to be removed to make space for the stage and the commentary boxes, and one Eurovision aficionado recalled thinking how 'tiny' the space was for such a big event. The show opened with a map of Europe and the words 'where is Harrogate?', translated for viewers around the continent, before a video outlined the town's charms to the international audience. Eurovision host's nerves ahead of big night The BBC TV newsreader Jan Leeming hosted the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, staged in Harrogate |It was hosted by the newsreader Jan Leeming, who did her best to add some sparkle to an event which lacked the usual glitz and glamour, perhaps due to the fact money was tight in 1982 and it was the seventh time in 23 years the UK had hosted the contest, which still cost a reported £500,000 to stage that year. Ms Leeming told the BBC years later how she had been extremely nervous ahead of the big night, writing in her diary at the time that she 'would give a kingdom for a train ticket home'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The UK had won the right to host the event after Bucks Fizz won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Making Your Mind Up'. How did UK's entry do, and who won? The British duo Bardo, consisting of Stephen Fischer and Sally Ann Triplett, represented the UK at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, performing the song 'One Step Further' | National World Hopes were high for the UK's 1982 entry, as they often are, and the bookies had them as favourites ahead of the contest. But One Step Further, performed by Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer under the name Bardo, failed to live up to expectations - finishing in a disappointing seventh place despite receiving 12 points from Luxembourg and Austria. Germany stormed to victory for the first time, with 'Ein bißchen Frieden' by 18-year-old Nicole Hohloch receiving 161 points - 61 more than second-placed Israel. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The English version of her winning number, 'A Little Peace', subsequently soared to the top of the UK Singles Chart. Despite failing to win over Eurovision judges, One Step Further still made it to number two in the UK, and Sally Ann Triplett described the experience as 'extraordinary'. Speaking to the BBC in 2022, she added: 'I have such a soft spot for Harrogate. Looking back, what a great idea to do it in Harrogate. It was a beautiful place to do it.' Do you remember the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest and what did you think of the decision to stage the show in Harrogate? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
