British weekday current affairs programme, running continuously on weekdays since 1980. It currently airs at 10.30pm on
BBC 2, after the
BBC 1 news.
Famous for its style of interviewing, which involves
asking the same question several times to a politician who is clearly trying to avoid answering (most famously
Michael Howard
, who was asked the same question - "Did you threaten to overrule him?"
* "him" being the Director of Prisons
-
twelve times and still waffled around without giving an answer - even though the answer turned out, apparently, years later, to be "no"
* Although according to documents released the year after this was a lie and the real answer was 'Yes'
). Jeremy Paxman (a rare newsreader example of the
Deadpan Snarker) is the best known presenter.
Once upon a time, the other star was Peter Snow, whose enthusiasm in explaining wars with
sandpits or elections with a "
swing-o-meter" was a joy to behold.
The final half hour on Fridays is given over to
Newsnight Review, which covers the arts and has a panel of famous artists and critics reviewing new movies, music, exhibits, etc. (Cuttingly satirised by
Dead Ringers.) The rest of the week, this time is given over to
Newsnight Scotland in
Scotland.
This show contains examples of: