Simon Hoggart

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Simon David Hoggart (born 26 May 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He is the son of the sociologist Herbert Richard Hoggart and Mary Holt Hoggart (née en France). His brother is The Times television critic Paul Hoggart.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

He was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. He was educated at Hymers College in Hull, Wyggeston Boys' School in Leicester, and King's College, Cambridge.

He joined The Guardian in 1968, and later became the American correspondent for The Observer (and occasional guest commentator on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday) and parliamentary sketch writer for The Guardian in 1993. He also writes a wine column for The Spectator and occasional columns for New Humanist magazine. In 1996 he returned to chairing the radio comedy show The News Quiz, having previously done so in the early 1980s, before his spell in North America. He is also a contributor to Grumpy Old Men and in the past has written for Punch magazine. His published books to date form an eclectic list, including debunking the supernatural, anecdotes about Parliament, a biography, his thoughts about the United States, a serious political review, and collected Christmas round-robin letters.

In December 2004 it was reported that Hoggart had had an affair with Kimberly Quinn shortly before her marriage in 2001, continuing infrequently thereafter, while Quinn was also involved with politician David Blunkett. Hoggart cunningly escaped Angus Deayton's fate (being mercilessly mocked about an affair on a topical comedy quiz show that he chaired) by putting his family in the audience of The News Quiz, shortly after the affair was revealed.

In March 2006 Hoggart presented his last edition of The News Quiz. On announcing his decision to step down he commented: "I'm getting a bit clapped out and jaded, and I think that's beginning to show."[1]

Hoggart lives in South London with his wife, Alyson, a clinical psychologist and their two children, Amy and Richard Louis.

[edit] Quotes

  • "Peter Mandelson is the only man I know who can skulk in broad daylight."
  • "Reagan is the only man to take the presidency as a part-time job, a means of filling up the otherwise empty hours."
  • "Seeing John Major govern the country is like watching Edward Scissorhands try to make balloon animals."
  • "I'm often amazed at the way politicians – who spend hours poring over opinion poll results in a desperate attempt to discover what the public thinks – are certain they know precisely what God's views are on everything."
  • "Mr Arbuthnot did not respond, but sat with a thin, weak smile, like winter sunshine upon a coffin lid."

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Books

  • The Hamster That Loved Puccini: The Seven Modern Sins of Christmas Round-Robin Letters (2005) ISBN 1-84354-474-1
  • The Cat That Could Open the Fridge: A Curmudgeon's Guide to Christmas Round-Robin Letters (2004) ISBN 1-84354-357-5
  • Punchlines: A Crash Course in English with John Prescott (2003) ISBN 0-7434-8397-9 – on Prescottese language
  • Playing to the Gallery: Parliamentary Sketches from Blair Year Zero (2002) ISBN 1-903809-66-5 – parliamentary sketches
  • Live Briefs: A Political Sketch Book by Simon Hoggart, Steve Bell (1996) ISBN 0-413-70970-1 – parliamentary sketches, with the Guardian political cartoonist
  • House of Correction (1995) ISBN 0-86051-998-8 – parliamentary sketches
  • Bizarre Beliefs by Simon Hoggart, Mike Hutchinson (1995) ISBN 1-86066-021-5 – on "the human desire to believe the unbelievable"
  • America: A User's Guide (1991) ISBN 0-00-637602-9 – on his experiences living in the United States
  • House of Cards: A Selection of Modern Political Humour edited by Simon Hoggart (1988) ISBN 0-241-12451-4
  • House of Ill Fame (1985) ISBN 0-86051-350-5 – parliamentary sketches
  • Back On the House (1982) ISBN 0-330-28148-8 – parliamentary sketches
  • On the House: The Personalities and the Politics From the Irreverent "Punch" Column (1981) ISBN 0-330-26883-X – parliamentary sketches
  • Michael Foot: A Portrait by Simon Hoggart, David Leigh (1981) ISBN 0-340-27600-2 – biography of politician Michael Foot
  • The Pact: The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977-8 by Simon Hoggart, Alistair Michie (1978) ISBN 0-7043-3236-1
  • Little Boxes: A Selection of Bryan McAllister Cartoons From "The Guardian" by Bryan McAllister, Simon Hoggart (1977) ISBN 0-85265-024-8

[edit] Audiobooks

[edit] External links

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