Daily Politics
Daily Politics is a BBC Television programme which aired between 6 January 2003 and 24 July 2018, presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. Daily Politics took an in-depth review of the daily events in both Westminster and other areas across Britain and abroad, and included interviews with leading politicians and political commentators.
This article is about the British television show. For the New York political blog, see New York Daily News.Daily Politics
Claire Bellis
Andrew Neil (2003-2018)
Daisy McAndrew (2003-2005)
Jenny Scott (2005-2008)
Anita Anand (2008-2011)
Jo Coburn (2008-2018)
Shelagh Fogarty (2010)
Jim Meacock (2003–2011)[1]
George Fenton (2012–2018)[2]
United Kingdom
English
2700 (Daily Politics)
210 (Sunday Politics)
BBC Millbank (Monday-Friday)
Broadcasting House (Sunday)
Palace of Westminster (Weds PMQs)
Robbie Gibb
60 minutes (Mon-Fri)
90 minutes (Wed)
75 Minutes (Sunday)
25 Minutes (BBC World News)
BBC Two (Monday-Friday)
BBC One (Sunday)
BBC World News (Europe only)
8 January 2003 –
24 July 2018
The final episode of Daily Politics broadcast was on 24 July 2018.[3][4] On 2 September 2018 it was replaced by Politics Live. However, the regional opt-out edition, Sunday Politics, continued as a Sunday morning talk show until 27 December 2020. The Sunday Politics brand continues to be used in Northern Ireland.
History[edit]
On 1 September 2000, Greg Dyke, then Director-General of the BBC, ordered a review of political output from the BBC, which was carried out by Fran Unsworth.[5] This led to a major overhaul of political programming in 2003. Several flagship programmes were cancelled, including On the Record, Despatch Box and Westminster Live, and new programmes were launched, including Daily Politics and the Politics Show.[6]
Daily Politics first aired on Wednesday 8 January 2003, presented by Andrew Neil and Daisy Sampson.[7] The first show included coverage of the first 12:00 noon session of Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons which later became standard in future.
In May 2008, the opening titles were revamped by Jonathan Spencer, the show's designer, using Adobe Illustrator and Cinema 4D.[8]
On 3 October 2011, it was announced that from 9 January 2012 Daily Politics would be relaunched, broadcasting six days a week (Daily Politics – Monday to Friday and Sunday Politics on Sundays). The duration of Daily Politics was extended from 30 to 60 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, remaining at 90 minutes on Wednesdays. Sunday Politics would become a weekend edition of Daily Politics presented by Andrew Neil and replacing The Politics Show, which ended in December 2011.[9]
On 9 January 2013, the show celebrated its tenth anniversary showing archive clips from the Blair, Brown and Cameron years.[10][11] It celebrated its 15th anniversary in January 2018.[12]
Daily Politics was broadcast live at noon on weekdays on BBC Two when the House of Commons is sitting, lasting 60 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays the programme was extended to 90 minutes from 11.30 am and included live coverage and analysis of Prime Minister's Questions. Each show was repeated on BBC Parliament at midnight on the same day, and was available on BBC iPlayer for seven days. During party conference season, an additional programme covering the Party Leaders' speeches aired in the afternoons, and a highlights programme titled Today at Conference aired after Newsnight on BBC Two. During the 2010 general election, BBC Two ran nine, 45-minute Daily Politics election debates. These programmes were presented by Andrew Neil and a specialist BBC correspondent.
There was also a Northern Ireland version of Daily Politics, broadcast as Daily Politics from Northern Ireland, to cover Northern Ireland Minister's Questions from Westminster; it opted out of the national programme for the first half-hour before Prime Minister's Questions on a Wednesday, and this was usually presented by Connor Bradford.
Production[edit]
Daily Politics was produced at the BBC's Millbank studios near the Palace of Westminster, but despite this convenient location, it was not unknown for MPs and guests to arrive late for their interviews; a social gaffe which Andrew Neil frequently reminded them of on subsequent appearances. However, on 17 May 2011, when the programme was rescheduled to an earlier slot of 11.30 am, Neil himself was caught in traffic and missed the entire programme, which had to be introduced solo by Anita Anand, with an empty chair alongside her.[15] For a while from 1 September 2014, the programme was moved to Broadcasting House while the Westminster studio was renovated.
On 4 January 2016, Laura Kuenssberg arranged for Labour MP Stephen Doughty to announce his resignation on the show. This led to formal complaints.[16]
Every Wednesday the programme featured an email competition where viewers answered a question for the chance to win a coveted Daily Politics mug. This competition was suspended as per BBC policy in the wake of the Blue Peter phone-in scandal. The competition returned in 2008 with entries picked out of a giant-sized Daily Politics mug instead of a normal mug (after initially using a Daily Politics bucket). Neither the enlarged mug nor the Daily Politics bucket were made available as a prize. The design of the mug changed in September 2008, after a relaunch of the programme. A new electronic method for choosing the winner was introduced in April 2012.
Politics Europe[edit]
This was launched on 14 September 2012 to replace The Record Europe and aired on BBC Parliament and BBC World News in Europe presented by Andrew Neil, although Jo Coburn acted as a relief presenter.