| This Week | |
|---|---|
The current programme titles |
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| Genre | Current affairs, politics |
| Presented by | Andrew Neil |
| Starring | Michael Portillo, Left leaning guest |
| Theme music composer | Jim Meacock[1] |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | 2003 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Daily Politics |
| External links | |
| Website | |
This Week is a current affairs and politics TV programme in the United Kingdom on the BBC, screened on Thursday evenings, hosted by former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil alongside former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister Michael Portillo, and a left leaning guest panellist on rotation. This Week come about after a major review of BBC political programmes, and replaced Dispatch Box [2]
The show has a more light-hearted tone than most political programming and prides itself on being "punchy, irreverent, satirical".[3] This is aided by the fact that neither of the regular panellists is constrained by party politics, as former panellist Diane Abbott was noted for rebelling against the former Labour government and Portillo has left the House of Commons. The two were ostensibly an "odd couple" coming from different sides of the political spectrum; however, they have a long-standing friendship dating back to when both attended grammar school in Harrow, even appearing in a production of Macbeth together.[4]
Contents |
The standard format consists of three segments each with a guest contributor. The first features a journalist or commentator who present their "Take Of The Week" in a short film before appearing in the studio to discuss their perspective further. The second segment is a light hearted roundup of the week in and around Parliament. Mark Mardell presented this before he became the BBC's Europe Editor in 2005. It is currently presented by one of a rotation of prominent writers and broadcasters. This is followed by a discussion between the hosts of the issues raised. The final segment is entitled the "Spotlight", often featuring a cultural topic and less focused on Parliament. During this segment there is a final guest related to the topic. Additionally, there is often a quiz in which Neil takes pleasure in demonstrating his co-hosts' ignorance of a range of topics.
The show was introduced in 2003 along with The Daily Politics to replace The Midnight Hour after a change in sitting hours of Parliament.
The show achieved notoriety for its title sequence during the 2005 General Election, which spoofed the recently re-released version of "Is This the Way to Amarillo" and its video featuring comedian Peter Kay.[5]
In 2006, the programme won the Hansard Society Award for Opening Up Politics which was awarded at the Channel 4 Political Awards ceremony.[6]
During the general election campaign of 2010, This Week was broadcast on Monday nights in addition to its usual Thursday night slot, with contributors including Charles Kennedy, Sarah Teather, Lynne Featherstone, Caroline Flint and James Purnell.
A standing reference in the show is around the consumption of alcohol, particularly Blue Nun, by the hosts, regular and irregular guests.
Diane Abbott was absent from the show while she sought election as the Labour Party leadership. Her replacements as co-host included Hazel Blears and Caroline Flint.[7]
In keeping with its comic style, This Week has several recurring jokes and nicknames. These include, assertions that all the viewers watch the show drinking Blue Nun, David Cameron watches the show in bed wearing his pyjamas, that the cast regularly go to Annabel's nightclub in Berkeley Square after filming is completed and that the show has a budget of almost zero. Also, every episode begins with the words "Evenin' all" and ends with "That's your lot for this week". Following Abbot's departure from the show, Neil would joke that Abbot's leadership bid and later appointment as Shadow Minister for public health were part of her insatiable "lust for power".
During general elections, the show starts with the 'election song'. The 2005 election song was "Is this the way to Election Day?" (a spoof of "Is This the Way to Amarillo?" by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield),[8] and for the 2010 election the song was "We're Off to Find a PM" (a spoof of "We're Off to See the Wizard" by Harold Arlen).[9]
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