Jeremy Paxman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Paxman in May 2014 | |
| Born | Jeremy Dickson Paxman (1950-05-11)11 May 1950 (age 75) Leeds, England |
| Education | Malvern College |
| Alma mater | St Catharine's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, journalist, author |
| Years active | 1972–2023 |
| Employer(s) | BBC (former),Channel 4 (former) |
| Known for | FormerNewsnight presenter and former quizmaster ofUniversity Challenge |
| Television | Newsnight (1989–2014) University Challenge (1994–2023) Christmas University Challenge (2011–2022) |
| Partner | Elizabeth Ann Clough (1981–2016) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Giles Paxman (brother) |
| Website | jeremypaxman |
Jeremy Dickson Paxman[1][2] (born 11 May 1950) is an English former broadcaster, journalist and author, born inYorkshire.
Born inLeeds, Paxman was educated atMalvern College andSt Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate newspaperVarsity. At Cambridge, he was a member of aLabour Party club and described himself as a socialist, in later life describing himself as aone-nation conservative. He joined theBBC in 1972, initially atBBC Radio Brighton, relocating to London in 1977. In following years, he worked onTonight andPanorama, becoming a newsreader for theBBC Six O'Clock News and later a presenter onBreakfast Time andUniversity Challenge.
In 1989, he became a presenter for theBBC Two programmeNewsnight, interviewing many political figures. Paxman became known for his forthright interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians.[3] These appearances were sometimes criticised as aggressive, intimidating and condescending, yet also applauded as tough and incisive.[4] In 2014, Paxman leftNewsnight after 25 years as its presenter.[5] Since then, he has done occasional work forChannel 4 News. From its revival in 1994 up until he stepped down from the show in 2023, he presentedUniversity Challenge andits Christmas spin-off from 2011 to 2022. In 2022, he announced he was standing down, as he had been diagnosed withParkinson's disease.[6]
Paxman was born inLeeds,West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of steel company employee and formerRoyal Navy lieutenant and typewriter salesman[7][8] (Arthur) Keith Paxman, who left the family and settled inAustralia,[9] and Joan McKay (née Dickson; 1920–2009).[10][11] Keith Paxman's father was a worsted spinner, who became sufficiently prosperous as a travelling sales representative to send his son to public school inBradford. The Dickson family were wealthier, with Keith's father-in-law, a self-made success, paying the Paxman children's school fees.[12][7]
Paxman is the eldest of four children: one of his brothers,Giles Paxman (1951−2025), was the British ambassador to Spain (having previously been ambassador to Mexico), and the other, James (born 1953), is chief executive of theDartmoor Preservation Association.[13] His sister, Jenny (born 1957), is a producer atBBC Radio.
Paxman was brought up inHampshire,Bromsgrove, andPeopleton nearPershore in Worcestershire.[14] He went toMalvern College in 1964,[1][15] and later read English atSt Catharine's College, Cambridge,[16][17] where he edited the university student newspaperVarsity.[2][18] While at Cambridge, Paxman was briefly a member of theCambridge Universities Labour Club,[19] attending only one meeting, finding student politics "self-important and trivial at the same time."[20] He has since been made an honorary fellow of the College.
In January 2006, Paxman was the subject of an episode of the BBCgenealogy seriesWho Do You Think You Are?.[10] The documentary concluded that he was descended from Roger Packsman, a 14th-century politician fromSuffolk who had changed his name to Paxman to impress the electorate (pax being Latin for 'peace'). Paxman's maternal grandmother was born inGlasgow, Scotland. The programme generated much publicity before its transmission by displaying him with tears in his eyes on camera when informed that his impoverished great-grandmother Mary McKay'spoor relief had been revoked because she had a child out of wedlock.[10][21]
Paxman joined the BBC's graduate trainee programme in 1972. He started in local radio, atBBC Radio Brighton. He moved toBelfast, where he reported onthe Troubles. He moved to London in 1977. Two years later he transferred from theTonight programme toPanorama. After five years reporting from places such asBeirut,Uganda and Central America, he read theSix O'Clock News for two years, before moving to BBC1'sBreakfast Time programme.
Paxman became a presenter ofNewsnight in 1989.
On 13 May 1997 he interviewedMichael Howard, who had beenHome Secretary until13 days earlier after he had held a meeting with Derek Lewis, head ofHer Majesty's Prison Service, about the possible dismissal of the governor ofParkhurst Prison, John Marriott. Howard was asked by Paxman the same question – "Did you threaten to overrule him [Lewis]?" – a total of twelve times in succession (fourteen, if the first two inquiries worded somewhat differently and some time before the succession of twelve are included).[22]
During a 20th anniversary edition ofNewsnight in 2000, Paxman told Howard that he had simply been trying to prolong the interview because the next item in the running order was not ready: "By the time I'd asked the question five or six times ... it was clear ... that you [Howard] weren't going to answer it ... at which point a voice came in my ear and said 'The next piece of tape isn't cut, you'd better carry on with this for a while' and I'm afraid I couldn't think of anything else to ask you."
In 1998,Denis Halliday, a United NationsHumanitarian Coordinator, resigned his post inIraq, describing the effects of his own organisation'ssanctions as genocide.[23] Paxman asked Halliday in aNewsnight interview, "Aren't you just an apologist for Saddam Hussein?"
In February 2003, Paxman was criticised by theBroadcasting Standards Commission over aNewsnight interview in which he questioned the then Liberal Democrat leaderCharles Kennedy about his drinking. The commission said that the questioning was "overly intrusive in nature and tone and had exceeded acceptable boundaries for broadcast".[24]
In 2003, Prime MinisterTony Blair opted to make the case for theinvasion of Iraq via questions from a TV studio audience, mediated by Paxman. The programme is chiefly remembered for the fact that Paxman asked Blair if he and U.S.President Bush prayed together. Blair replied, "No, Jeremy. We don't pray together." To which Paxman replied, "But why not?"[25][26]
During the2005 general election, some viewers complained to the BBC that Paxman's questioning of party leaders had been rude and aggressive.[27][28] He was criticised for his 5 am interview withGeorge Galloway after his election as theRespect MP forBethnal Green and Bow by the just defeatedOona King.[29] Paxman asked Galloway more than once whether he was proud of having got rid of "one of the very few black women in Parliament."[30] Galloway cut the interview short. King later said she "did not wish to be defined, by either [her] ethnicity or religious background."[29]
On 11 April 2012, Paxman interviewedRussell Brand about Brand's political views and the article he wrote for theNew Statesman. The interview went viral as Brand stated that it was "futile" to vote and that a "political revolution" was needed. After this interview, Paxman revealed that he had not voted either in some previous elections.[31]
On 26 June 2012, he interviewed theEconomic Secretary to the TreasuryChloe Smith about ChancellorGeorge Osborne's decision that day to delay plans to increase fuel duty.[32] Paxman questioned the apparent change in her views on fuel duty.[33] Senior politicians, includingJohn Prescott, questioned Osborne's judgement for sending a junior minister onto the programme in place of himself.[32][34]
The BBC announced Paxman's departure fromNewsnight at the end of April 2014.[5] He had toldLord Hall of Birkenhead, thedirector-general of the BBC, andJames Harding, the BBC head of news, that he wished to leave in July 2013, but agreed to stay onNewsnight for another year after the programme had been damaged by theSavile andLord McAlpine scandals.[5][35] In his statement Paxman commented: "After 25 years, I should rather like to go to bed at much the same time as most people."[35]
Paxman's brusque manner is not restricted to political interviews. When around 2005Newsnight's editor decided to broadcast brief weather forecasts instead of financial reports Paxman openly ridiculed the decision: "The forecast: it's April, what do you expect?"[36] The financial reports were re-introduced after a few weeks.
Paxman presented his lastNewsnight on 18 June 2014 in an edition which included an interview withPeter Mandelson and one withLondon MayorBoris Johnson, while they both rode atandem bicycle, as well as a brief reappearance ofMichael Howard who, following on from his 1997 interview, was simply asked: "Did you?". The closing theme was replaced withI'd Like to Teach the World to Sing byThe New Seekers. The programme ended with a briefpost-credits scene with Paxman standing in front of aweather map exclaiming "Tomorrow's weather: more of the same! I don't know why they make such a fuss about it" in reference to the 2005 weather forecasts.[37]
Paxman has presented the weekly TV programme reviewDid You See...? andYou Decide. From 1994 to 2023, he was the quizmaster forUniversity Challenge, bringing him the distinction of "longest-serving current quizmaster on British TV."[38] In 2013, the BBC received 44 complaints after Paxman's "acerbic" remarks caused a 20-year-old contestant to repeatedly apologise for answering a question wrong.[39] In October 2022, an ITV documentary,Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's, revealed how the disease has impacted him[40] and revealed that Paxman recorded his very last episode ofUniversity Challenge on 15 October 2022, which aired on 29 May 2023.[41][42] He presented a weekly compilation of highlights from the domestic edition ofNewsnight from February 2008 until shortly after the2008 U.S. election onBBC America andBBC World, when the American programme was cancelled. The programme is still aired on BBC World.[25][43]
In April 2006,The Sun claimed that Paxman earned £800,000 for hisNewsnight job and £240,000 for presentingUniversity Challenge, bringing his TV earnings to a yearly total of £1,040,000. This was one of a series of BBC salary leaks in thetabloid press that prompted an internal BBC investigation.[44]
Paxman appeared as himself in an episode of BBC comedyThe Thick of It that aired in January 2007. He is seen grilling Junior Minister Ben Swain (played byJustin Edwards) in a disastrousNewsnight interview.[45]
Beginning on 15 February 2009, Paxman's four-part documentaryThe Victorians was transmitted onBBC One. The series exploresVictorian art and culture.[46] From 27 February until 26 March 2012, BBC One broadcast his seriesEmpire, examining the history and legacy of theBritish Empire.
In 2014, Paxman presentedBritain's Great War, an accompaniment to his 2013 bookGreat Britain's Great War.
On 26 March 2015, Paxman co-presented, withKay Burley,David Cameron andEd Miliband Live: The Battle for Number 10, in which he interviewed both British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron and Opposition LeaderEd Miliband regarding their track record in politics and their plans if elected Prime Minister in thegeneral election set for May of that year. He also hosted Channel 4's Alternative Election Night withDavid Mitchell. He then later co-presented a similar programme withFaisal Islam, interviewingJeremy Corbyn andTheresa May before the2017 general election on 29 May,May v Corbyn Live: The Battle for Number 10.[47][48]
Paxman's first book,A Higher Form of Killing (1982), written with then BBC colleague and friendRobert Harris, arose out of an edition of thePanorama programme they had made together onbiological andchemical warfare. In a revised 2002 version they asserted thatIraq possessed chemical and biological weapons. In 1985, Paxman publishedThrough the Volcanoes: A Central American Journey, aneyewitness account of people, places and politics.Friends in High Places: Who Runs Britain? (1991) was the result of numerous detailed interviews with the powerful or highly influential, what used to be calledThe Establishment. 1999 saw the publication of hisThe English: A Portrait of a People.The Political Animal: An Anatomy (2003), again based on extensive interviews, examines the motivations and methods of those who constitute the author's professional prey: Westminster politicians.
The otherwise-republican[49] Paxman'sOn Royalty, which entailed the cooperation of Britain'sRoyal Family, became by the time it was published in 2006 a defence of the country'sconstitutional monarchy. His recent books have been big sellers. Hishistory book,The Victorians: Britain through the Paintings of the Age, published in 2009, was accompanied by a BBC documentary series. In his introduction, Paxman acknowledged that the Irish writer Neil Hegarty had played a significant role in editing the book and bringing it to completion. Paxman stated that since all television is a "collaborative exercise", it was "rather silly for this book – which accompanies a television series – to appear with only one name on the cover."[50] Paxman's most recent book is a study of theBritish Empire,Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British.[51][52]
Paxman kept a detached tone while writing his memoir,A Life in Questions, which was published in October 2016.[53][54]
Paxman presented the flagship BBC Radio 4 showStart the Week from 1998 to 2002.
Since March 2023 Paxman has contributed to a podcast 'Movers and Shakers' which is "about life with Parkinson's". Recordings are made in a Notting Hill pub and presenters (Rory Cellan-Jones, Gillian Lacey-Solymar,Mark Mardell,Paul Mayhew-Archer, SirNicholas Mostyn and Jeremy Paxman) discuss "the highs and lows, trials and tribulations, of living with the condition".[55][56][57] In March 2024 The UK Broadcasting Press Guild made 'Movers and Shakers' its 'UK Podcast of the Year'.[58]
Paxman is a Vice-President ofThe London Library.[59]
DuringJohn Birt's tenure asdirector-general of the BBC, the British press occasionally reported Paxman's criticism of Birt. Birt was suspected at first to be an outsider brought in by a hostile government to supervise the BBC's break-up and ultimate sell-off. Birt then publicly questioned the confrontational approach of certain TV and radio interviewers. This was seen at the time as coded criticism of Paxman himself and of his BBC colleagueJohn Humphrys.[60][61]
On 24 August 2007, Paxman delivered the MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at theEdinburgh International Television Festival.[62] In it he was critical of much of contemporary television in Britain. He expressed concern that as a consequence of recent production scandals the medium was "rapidly losing public trust". Speaking of prime ministerTony Blair's criticism of the mass media at the time he left office, Paxman asserted that, though often, press and broadcasting may be "oppositional" in relation to the government of the day, this "could only benefit democracy". "ThoseReithian goals, to 'inform, educate and entertain,' still remained valid". Paxman took the opportunity to dismiss as "inaccurate" the attribution to him, which was in fact,Louis Heren,[63] of the oft-quoted "Why is this lying bastard lying to me?" as the supposed dominant thought in his mind when interviewing senior politicians. He called on the television industry to "rediscover a sense of purpose".
In November 2012, Paxman publicly defendedGeorge Entwistle following his resignation as director-general of the BBC in connection with aNewsnight report which falsely implicatedLord McAlpine in theNorth Wales child abuse scandal. Paxman claimed Entwistle had been "brought low by cowards and incompetents" and criticised appointments of "biddable people" to the BBC in the wake of theHutton Inquiry, as well as cuts to BBC programme budgets and "bloated" BBC management.[64]
In August 2013, Paxman appeared onNewsnight with a beard, causing a Twitter trend when he accused the BBC of having anaversion to beards.[65]
In 1996 Paxman receivedBAFTA'sRichard Dimbleby Award for "outstanding presenter in the factual arena." Two years later he won theRoyal Television Society's Interviewer of the Year Award for hisNewsnight interview (see above) withMichael Howard, as well as the Broadcasting Press Guild's award for best "non-acting" performer. He gained another Richard Dimbleby Award in 2000 and was nominated for the award in 2001 and 2002. In total, Paxman has won fiveRoyal Television Society awards. He won the award for International Current Affairs in 1985, and TV journalism interviewer/presenter of the year four times (1997, 1998, 2001 and 2008).[66][67]
Paxman was given an honorary doctorate by theUniversity of Leeds in the summer of 1999 and in December that year received an honorary degree from theUniversity of Bradford.[68] In 2006 he received an honorary doctorate from theOpen University. Among those at the ceremony were three members of the Open University's 1999University Challenge team. Paxman is aFellow by special election ofSt Edmund Hall, Oxford, and an Honorary Fellow of hisalma mater,St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. In July 2016, Paxman was awarded an honorary degree from theUniversity of Exeter for achievements in the field of broadcasting and journalism.
He is played byNicholas Rowe in the 2025 ITV drama about theNews International phone hacking scandal,The Hack.[69]
Paxman formerly lived with television producer Elizabeth Clough inStonor, southeastOxfordshire. They have three children.[70] The couple, who did not marry, amicably separated in 2016 after 35 years together.[71][72] He prefers to keep his private life "out of the spotlight" and says he is not interested in the private lives of others.[73] He has a flat inKensington, London.[74]
Paxman supportsLeeds United and enjoysfly fishing.[75] He is vice-chairman of the Wild Trout Trust conservation charity. He is also a patron of the charitySustrans and east London homeless charity Caritas Anchor House.[76]
In his twenties, Paxman unsuccessfully applied for the vacant editorship of theLabour-supporting weekly, theNew Statesman; he said that in his youth he considered himself a socialist.[77][78] He had previously stood as acommunist candidate in his school elections.[78] More recently, he has been described as "the archetypalfloating voter", andJon Snow once said that Paxman's greatest strength was being "not very political".[78] In 2014, Paxman described himself as aone-nation conservative.[79] Elsewhere, Paxman has stated that he has no dominant political ideology:
I do understand we have to have a government, and I do firmly believe in democracy. So it's not true to say I'm not a political person. I am a political person. But I'm not a party political person. I don't believe there is a monopoly of wisdom in any one party. I suppose as one gets older – I would have described it at the age of 21 as the process of selling out, but another way of looking at it is to say, actually, the world is not a very simple place, and that as you get older simple-minded solutions seem less attractive.[78]
As part of a 2009 campaign by theParkinson's Disease Society Paxman, along withJane Asher andJohn Stapleton, pledged todonate his brain to Parkinson's research following his death.[80][81]
In June 2014, Paxman, speaking at the Chalke Valley History Festival about his new book,Britain's Great War, said thatNewsnight was made by "idealistic 13-year-olds" who "foolishly thought they could change the world". "Look,Newsnight is made by 13-year-olds. It's perfectly normal when you're young that you want to change the world," Paxman said. "The older you get, the more you realise what a fools' errand much of that is and that the thing to do is to manage the best you can to the advantage of as many people as possible." Speaking about his political views in general, he said he was "in favour of governments getting out of people's lives – particularly foreign government", saying Europe had been "nothing but trouble for us". He also joked that Belgium was a "pointless little country". "The closer you can take decision-making to the people affected by those decisions, the better."[79]In 2019, in an interview with60 Minutes on Australia'sNine Network, Paxman said he voted remain in the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum (initially intending to vote leave), but believed the result had to be respected:
I went to the polling station intending to vote leave and I ended up voting remain, because as I walked in I thought "it's an awful institution the European Union but it's all we've got." So that's why I changed my mind... But actually I think now you can't tell people that you're gonna have a referendum and their vote will be respected and then not respect it, you just can't do it. It shows utter contempt for the voters.[82]
Paxman became a focus of media attention in October 2000 when a GermanEnigma machine, which had been stolen fromBletchley Park Museum, was inexplicably sent to him in the post. He returned it to the museum.[83][84]
In an interview with Emily Dean on aTimes Radio podcast, Paxman described his experience with depression. He said that he takespsychiatric medication and has undergoneCognitive behavioural therapy. He stated that he regularly walks his dog, Derek, which "helps as he meets people", and that his dog "makes him laugh".[85]
In September 2021, whilst promoting his bookBlack Gold: The History of How Coal Made Britain, Paxman revealed his support forScottish independence. Talking toThe Sunday Times, he said, "My view about the Union is that if there is to be a referendum then the English should be allowed a vote as well. We are supposedly a nation of equals, so we should be equally entitled to a vote. And although I am a quarter Scottish I would vote to separate, I think. Because I can't see what is gained by persistently giving the Jocks an excuse. We're always going to be friends."[86]
Paxman revealed in May 2021 that he is receiving treatment forParkinson's disease, describing his symptoms as "mild".[87] Shan Nicholas ofParkinson's UK said, "Previously, Jeremy pledged to donate his brain to the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank which will, one day, help scientists uncover the discoveries that will lead to better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's."[88]
In October 2022 an ITV documentary,Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's, revealed how the disease has impacted him – the programme showed him attending a ballet class, learning to play bowls, meeting experts and observing a brain dissection. He metSharon Osbourne, the wife of musician and fellow Parkinson's suffererOzzy Osbourne, to discuss the role of a partner or family carer; he agreed to her suggestion to one day try cannabidiol oil to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's.[40] The programme revealed that Paxman recorded his last episode ofUniversity Challenge on 15 October 2022.[41][42]
In April 2024 Paxman delivered a petition to10 Downing Street with recommendations concerningNHS treatment of patients with Parkinson's Disease, which he commented "may not kill you but it will make you wish you hadn't been born."[89]
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While presenting aNewsnight segment in 2005, Paxman referred toSecretary of State for HealthJohn Reid as an "attack dog". In response, Reid accused Paxman of criticising him due to Reid'sGlaswegian accent. Paxman responded to Reid's comment by stating that he admired his "knowledge" and "strength of character", but could not understand why Reid went "doolally" over Paxman's criticism of him, further claiming that it was "extremely bizarre" that certainScottish people had a "chip on their shoulder" over their nationality. He went on to state that "I mean down here we live under a sort ofScottish Raj... I don't see why there is any reason for them to feel chippy. Do we complain about it? No we don't. I think it's absurd. I don't understand wherein lies this angst." In reaction to Paxman's statements on Scotland, twenty Scottish MPs, includingJim Sheridan,Iain Luke andBrian Donohoe, signed aHouse of Commons motion criticising the statements as "insulting, irresponsible, divisive and snobbish".[90]
In 2008, Paxman's employment ofdomestic workers became the subject of public attention after theNews of the World newspaper published an article about two Romanian nationals who had been employed by Paxman. The article contained testimonies from the two workers, who criticised Paxman for treating them "like a common serving girl" and paying wages of only £200 per week, which was under theBritish minimum wage (though as the two were live-in workers the minimum wage did not apply to them). They also criticised Paxman for not giving them an officialemployment contract orpaid time off.[91] In the same year, Paxman was the subject of further controversy when he described the work of Scottish poetRobert Burns as "sentimental doggerel" in the introduction of the 2008 edition ofChambers Dictionary.[92]
On aNewsnight segment aired on 31 May 2012, Paxman, discussing the possibility of aGreek withdrawal from the eurozone, stated that Greece, "like a badkebab", faced the possibility of being "vomited out of the single currency". This statement was criticised in the same segment by the GreekMinister of Environment, Energy and Climate ChangeGiorgos Papakonstantinou, who told Paxman during an interview that "Can I take issue with your 'bad kebab' analogy, which I find offensive. TheGreek economy is in a crisis and theGreek people are going through a lot, and deserve some respect, and I really did not find that very appropriate."[93] While appearing onThe Graham Norton Show in 2013, Paxman referred to British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron as a "complete idiot" for his role in Britain'sFirst World War centenary commemorations. In response, MPRob Wilson wrote to thedirector-general of the BBC,Lord Hall, to demand an apology from Paxman.[94] In an interview conducted in the same year withRussell Brand, Paxman revealed that he had not voted at a recent election due to finding the available candidates "unappetising", which led to criticism from Deputy Prime MinisterNick Clegg.[95]
John Pilger has raised Paxman's membership of theBritish-American Project in the context of political biases ofmainstream media.[96]
Paxman was criticised[by whom?] for his presentation of the BBC documentaryBritain's Great War. While describing how Britishconscientious objectors were jailed and threatened with the death penalty because killing was against their beliefs, Paxman ventured his own opinion that it was the objectors themselves who were at fault, and that they were "extreme". The conscientious objectors, Paxman said, "have always struck me as cranks".[97][98]
In 2017, Paxman's interviews ofJeremy Corbyn andTheresa May for theupcoming general election were described by journalistMichael Deacon as "embarrassing".[99] Deacon opined that Paxman's pugnacious style of questioning had become tired, claiming that he had been "doing an impression of himself".[99]
"I have to be frank, I suppose I am a one-nation Tory, yes," he said.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The BAP rarely gets publicity, which may have something to do with the high proportion of journalists who are alumni. Prominent BAP journalists are David Lipsey, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and assorted Murdochites. The BBC is well represented. On the Today programme, James Naughtie, whose broadcasting has long reflected his own transatlantic interests, has been an alumnus since 1989. Today's newest voice, Evan Davis, formerly the BBC's zealous economics editor, is a member. And at the top of the BAP website home page is a photograph of Jeremy Paxman and his endorsement. 'A marvellous way of meeting a varied cross-section of transatlantic friends,' says he.
