"The thing about television is that you can't fake it. Your sense of discovery must be genuine; you can't pretend to be surprised."
Sir Trevor McDonald, OBE (born 16 August 1939) was the first black newsreader in the UK, starting at ITN (the company that provides news for ITV and Channel Four) in 1973 and carried on doing this until 2008.
As well as being the presenter of News at Ten, he has presented a number of other shows (Undercover Customs, Tonight with Trevor MacDonald) and hosts awards shows.
He's notable for his distinct voice, "And finally", and being a generally cool guy.
He's been parodied too - Lenny Henry did a memorable parody of him in Tiswas ("Trevor McDoughnut"), and he was also impersonated on Dead Ringers.
Provides examples of:
- Affectionate Parody: The aforementioned character of Trevor McDoughnut on Tiswas. McDonald evidently saw the funny side himself, because he actually appeared on the show as a guest.
- Cool Old Guy: Definitely counts here. He is a very respected man, to the point he is like Stephen Fry in that no one can really say anything bad about him and he is instantly recognisable.
- He Really Can Act: When he had a gig as Countdown guest host in 2022, viewers were surprised, but his week as host ended with viewers clamouring for him to be given the job permanently. Maybe helped by the fact the show was just heading out of the
Anne Robinson experiment. - Sharp-Dressed Man: As a news presenter, naturally.
- 10-Minute Retirement: ITV keeps dragging him back to resuscitate their news coverage. He's also doing a lot of documentaries now, such as visiting Death Row inmates, ex-Mafia gangsters, and investigating the darker sides of Las Vegas.
- Yet Another Baby Panda: "And finally..." Associated with finishing News at Ten programmes with a reassuring human interest story.
