Nick Robinson
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- For other persons named Nick Robinson, see Nick Robinson (disambiguation).
Nicholas Anthony Robinson (born October 5, 1963) is the Political Editor of the BBC.[1] He was previously the Political Editor of ITV News from November 2002 until August 2005, and Chief Political Correspondent of BBC News 24 before that.[1] He is noted for his trademark spectacles.[2]
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[edit] Early life
Born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, in 1963, Robinson attended Cheadle Hulme School before reading Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at University College, Oxford.[1] In 1986, he spent a year as national chairman of the Young Conservatives;[3] he does not state this in his own blog biography.[1][4]
[edit] Media career
Nick Robinson joined the BBC in 1986 and worked extensively as a television and radio producer before joining BBC Radio 5 Live where he presented Weekend Breakfast and Late Night Live, later moving into television. While working for ITN, he caused a major stir early in the 2005 election campaign at the unveiling of a Labour Party poster. The poster claimed the Conservative Party would initiate cuts of GBP £35 billion if elected; journalists, led by Robinson, attacked Prime Minister Tony Blair.[5] Blair was forced to admit the £35 billion figure was a reduction in future spending rather than cuts of existing services. This confrontation was all the more notable for the wide grin which appeared on the face of Chancellor Gordon Brown as the questions to Blair became more and more hostile.
Other colourful moments include the reaction of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to his line of questioning at the launch of Labour's 2005 manifesto. Robinson suggested that given the 2001 manifesto failed to mention tuition fees, tax rises and war with Iraq, some may doubt the honesty of the current one. Prescott was seen to mouth the words "fucking pillock".[3]
Most recently, Nick Robinson got a very hard stare from George W Bush when he asked him if he was in denial about the situation in Iraq (since the most Bush had said about the situation was that the increase in attacks was "unsettling"). Bush replied "It's bad in Iraq. Does that help?".[6]
[edit] Nick Robinson in popular culture
In the time-honoured tradition of BBC newsreaders and journalists such as Angela Rippon and Natasha Kaplinsky, Nick Robinson has begun to appear in light-hearted shows such as Children in Need and Have I Got News for You.[7]
He keeps a blog on the BBC website,[8] where on 5 May 2006 he raised eyebrows with the revelation that when hearing of Charles Clarke's sacking in the 2006 Cabinet reshuffle, he was "naked in bed."[9] He later apologised, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, saying he was "merely trying to add authenticity. That's the naked truth."[10]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Nick Robinson. About Nick Robinson. Nick Robinson Blog. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
- ^ Andy McSmith. "Nick Robinson: Northern, arsey, confrontational", The Independent, September 19, 2006.
- ^ a b David Rowan. Interview: Nick Robinson. Evening Standard. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
- ^ Owen Gibson. ""I'm more than just a chippy northerner"", The Guardian, Guardian Newspapers, September 5, 2005.
- ^ Andrew Gimson. "Blair and Brown's staged show of openness was just a closed affair", Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Group, March 18, 2005.
- ^ Nick Robinson. "Nick Robinson asks President Bush if he's in denial about Iraq", BBC News, BBC News, December 7, 2006.
- ^ "Have I Got News for You" Episode #30.8 (2005). IMDB. amazon. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
- ^ Nick Robinson's Newslog. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
- ^ In and out. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
- ^ Naked truth. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
[edit] External links
- Nick Robinson's blog at BBC
- Nick Robinson profile at BBC News
- Nick Robinson at the Internet Movie Database
| Preceded by: Andrew Marr |
Political editor of BBC 2005 - present |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
