This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/world/europe/bbc-anchor-jeremy-paxman-stepping-down.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| BBC Anchor Who Delighted in Blistering Politicians Steps Down | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| LONDON — Famed for his combative questions, disdainful delivery and lack of deference, Jeremy Paxman, one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters, on Wednesday made his last appearance on the TV program he has dominated for a quarter of a century. | LONDON — Famed for his combative questions, disdainful delivery and lack of deference, Jeremy Paxman, one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters, on Wednesday made his last appearance on the TV program he has dominated for a quarter of a century. |
| A scourge of obfuscating politicians, Mr. Paxman is renowned for his refusal to accept waffling or platitudes from lawmakers and once embarrassed a cabinet minister by asking him the same question 12 times. | A scourge of obfuscating politicians, Mr. Paxman is renowned for his refusal to accept waffling or platitudes from lawmakers and once embarrassed a cabinet minister by asking him the same question 12 times. |
| Mr. Paxman, 64, has worked since 1989 as an anchor of “Newsnight,” a BBC news and current affairs show that combines reporting with studio discussion and is broadcast each weeknight. | Mr. Paxman, 64, has worked since 1989 as an anchor of “Newsnight,” a BBC news and current affairs show that combines reporting with studio discussion and is broadcast each weeknight. |
| While the show has had several distinguished anchors during its lifetime, none has owned it like Mr. Paxman, some of whose interviews have entered broadcast mythology. Among the best known was an encounter in 1997 with Michael Howard, then Britain’s home secretary. | While the show has had several distinguished anchors during its lifetime, none has owned it like Mr. Paxman, some of whose interviews have entered broadcast mythology. Among the best known was an encounter in 1997 with Michael Howard, then Britain’s home secretary. |
| Asked by Mr. Paxman whether he had threatened to overrule the head of the Prison Service, Derek Lewis, Mr. Howard gave a legalistic response — only to be confronted with the same question 11 more times. Mr. Paxman later told The Guardian that he had unexpectedly been given more time for the interview than foreseen and could not think of more pertinent questions. | Asked by Mr. Paxman whether he had threatened to overrule the head of the Prison Service, Derek Lewis, Mr. Howard gave a legalistic response — only to be confronted with the same question 11 more times. Mr. Paxman later told The Guardian that he had unexpectedly been given more time for the interview than foreseen and could not think of more pertinent questions. |
| In 2003, during a discussion on the decision to invade Iraq, Mr. Paxman asked Prime Minister Tony Blair whether he had prayed together with President George W. Bush. “No, we don’t pray together, Jeremy, no,” replied Mr. Blair in a tone that suggested a combination of embarrassment and irritation. | In 2003, during a discussion on the decision to invade Iraq, Mr. Paxman asked Prime Minister Tony Blair whether he had prayed together with President George W. Bush. “No, we don’t pray together, Jeremy, no,” replied Mr. Blair in a tone that suggested a combination of embarrassment and irritation. |
| With his world-weary and sometimes disdainful style, Mr. Paxman drew his share of criticism. In a blog post, Michael White, an assistant editor at The Guardian, wrote that the broadcaster represented both the best and the worst of the media elite. While politicians enjoy watching their opponents squirm, some were “troubled and resentful that they should be treated so scornfully by a man paid £1m a year merely to ask questions on the telly for an hour several nights a week,” he wrote. | With his world-weary and sometimes disdainful style, Mr. Paxman drew his share of criticism. In a blog post, Michael White, an assistant editor at The Guardian, wrote that the broadcaster represented both the best and the worst of the media elite. While politicians enjoy watching their opponents squirm, some were “troubled and resentful that they should be treated so scornfully by a man paid £1m a year merely to ask questions on the telly for an hour several nights a week,” he wrote. |
| The BBC declined to discuss what it paid Mr. Paxman, who is the author of several books, and who will continue to work for the channel presenting the quiz show “University Challenge.” | The BBC declined to discuss what it paid Mr. Paxman, who is the author of several books, and who will continue to work for the channel presenting the quiz show “University Challenge.” |
| Recent years have been turbulent for “Newsnight,” which became the focus of a crisis in the BBC following revelations that it shelved an investigation into Jimmy Savile, an entertainer who, after his death, was exposed as a serial sex offender. To make matters worse, “Newsnight” then had to apologize after wrongly accusing a senior Conservative politician of involvement in child abuse. | Recent years have been turbulent for “Newsnight,” which became the focus of a crisis in the BBC following revelations that it shelved an investigation into Jimmy Savile, an entertainer who, after his death, was exposed as a serial sex offender. To make matters worse, “Newsnight” then had to apologize after wrongly accusing a senior Conservative politician of involvement in child abuse. |
| The show’s nightly ratings dropped from around 800,000 in 2010 to around 600,000, a figure the BBC now describes as stable. | The show’s nightly ratings dropped from around 800,000 in 2010 to around 600,000, a figure the BBC now describes as stable. |
| In a statement earlier this year, Mr. Paxman said he thought it was “time to move on” adding, “After 25 years, I should rather like to go to bed at much the same time as most people.” | In a statement earlier this year, Mr. Paxman said he thought it was “time to move on” adding, “After 25 years, I should rather like to go to bed at much the same time as most people.” |
| Mr. Paxman made headlines himself last year when, on another BBC show, he suggested that Prime Minister David Cameron was a “complete idiot” for likening the centenary of World War I to celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. | Mr. Paxman made headlines himself last year when, on another BBC show, he suggested that Prime Minister David Cameron was a “complete idiot” for likening the centenary of World War I to celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. |
| A segment on Wednesday’s edition of “Newsnight” showed Mr. Paxman mounting a tandem bicycle to ride around London alongside the city’s mayor, Boris Johnson. The mayor refers to the pleasures of cycling in London, a debatable statement in a city where fatal accidents are not uncommon. | A segment on Wednesday’s edition of “Newsnight” showed Mr. Paxman mounting a tandem bicycle to ride around London alongside the city’s mayor, Boris Johnson. The mayor refers to the pleasures of cycling in London, a debatable statement in a city where fatal accidents are not uncommon. |
| “It’s not delightful to cycle in London,” Mr. Paxman replied. “It’s a bloody nightmare.” | “It’s not delightful to cycle in London,” Mr. Paxman replied. “It’s a bloody nightmare.” |