Donald MacCormick | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald MacCormick 16 April 1939 |
| Died | 12 July 2009(2009-07-12) (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Teacher,journalist,presenter |
| Notable credit(s) | Tonight Newsnight Question Time Money Programme |
| Spouses | Lis MacKinlay (divorced)
|
| Children | 5 |
Donald MacCormick (16 April 1939[1] – 12 July 2009)[2] was aScottish broadcastjournalist.
MacCormick's father was aGlasgow teacher who died when Donald was six. As a result, he became close to the family of his uncleJohn MacCormick, a lawyer and advocate for Scottish devolution.[3]
He studied English at theUniversity of Glasgow, where he was chairman of theLabour Club withDonald Dewar andJohn Smith. Following his graduation, he trained to become a teacher atJordanhill College of Education and taught at theHigh School of Glasgow from 1962 to 1967.[4]
He began his media career in Scotland in 1967, working atGrampian Television as a news reporter and then later, on political programmes both for ITV and BBC. He presented the ground-breaking political programmePublic Account for BBC Scotland withJames Cox andAndrew Neil.
In 1975, he moved to London and became a presenter on BBC1's newTonight programme[1] and a series of national roles followed. Most significantly, along withJohn Tusa andPeter Snow, he made up the triumvirate that anchoredNewsnight in its early years. MacCormick also chaired BBC1'sQuestion Time, presented theMoney Programme and for several years was a commentator on the BBC's live coverage of theparty political conferences.
Moving toLondon Weekend Television in the early 1990s, MacCormick hosted a lunchtime news analysis programme and conducted a major discussion series during theFirst Gulf War. On the night of the1992 general election he was one of the presenters of Sky News's election night coverage, alongsideSir David Frost. He later returned to Scotland to present three seasons of political programmes forScottish Television in Glasgow. On radio, he hosted his own Sunday morning topical magazine programme onLondon News Direct.
MacCormick had moved into the corporate sector, interviewing executives for company videos, chairing conferences and working in media training.[1]
On 28 March 2009 MacCormick returned to the BBC to present an evening onBBC Parliament.The Night The Government Fell marked the 30th anniversary of thevote of no confidence in the Labour government headed byJames Callaghan. 30 years previously MacCormick had presented a live programme in Westminster covering these same events.
MacCormick died of aheart attack on 12 July 2009. He was divorced from Lis MacKinlay, by whom he had three children. He was married to Liz Elton from 1978 until his death; they had two children. All five children survive MacCormick.
Former Liberal Democrat leaderSir Menzies Campbell, who first met MacCormick at Glasgow University in 1959, paid tribute to the broadcaster saying: "Donald MacCormick was a prince among broadcasters. His style was always civil but insistent. He was always thoroughly prepared and his kind of journalism characterised all that is best in the BBC."[5]
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