Paddy Haycocks is an experienced broadcaster and producer who has worked in the British media for over 25 years. Born in Portsmouth on the 9th of April, 1950[1] his first brush with fame came when he was appearing on the Streetwise section of the ill-fated Channel Four Daily. Haycocks regularly interviewed a lawyer who represented Ronnie Kray. The sartorially traditional Kray disapproved of Haycock’s open necked presentational style [2] and sent him a beautiful silk tie,[3] which Haycocks naturally wore at the first opportunity. He then went on to present South Today, a stint which included the famous “Total Darkness” episode.[4]
He is perhaps best remembered for a low-budget daytime show called As it happens[5] where he was beamed live from a famous place waiting for something to unfold, a style many critics feel[6] has been adopted by modern news channels. Haycocks himself was a pioneering presenter of Channel One, London’s first digital news channel[7] but from the late 1990s worked increasingly on the other side of the camera[8] and was, until his resignation in February 2006, factual programming executive at Talkback Thames.[9] Haycocks is, in his spare time, a leading light in the Wokingham Choral Society.[10]
He has two children, Timothy and Elizabeth.