The Andrew Marr Show
The Andrew Marr show may be BBC’s flagship political programme and required viewing for many but in true contrarian Campion-Brown fashion I don’t like it.
Why? Firstly it is too focused around the presenter.
Aside from the title and a tv screen that reads ‘Marr’, the programme begins with various shots of the presenter, one with a mobile looking out to the horizon. They are cleverly taken as after his stroke he appears only to have the use of one arm.
Secondly, and this is the nub, I do not believe he is asking the questions the average viewer expects. After a couple of know-all journalists comment on the papers he goes into the main interview with a senior politician or figure.
In the programme before last the interviewee was John McDonnell.
For me the obvious question was, given his political leanings, could he and his hard left party stand up to Putin? He was bowled dollies and could respond with his normal anti-capitalist claptrap.
Yesterday there were two more Corbynistsas – the Guardian journalist Owen Jones and Shama Chakrabarti.
Again there was no questioning of (A) were they sympathetic to Putin and (B) given his interference in elections would Putin “fix” a Labour victory?
One can only assume that Marr’s political bias is to the left – he was not prepared to ask such difficult questions.
Politicians queue up for a platform on such as this show, the 8.10 slot on Radio 4’s Today or Nick Ferrrari’s LBC programme.
But they don’t get such a easy ride. We all know that media training is to get your 4 points over whatever, but a tough interrogator like John Humphreys does not let the interviewee get away with it. They have broken many an ill-prepared, ill-considered politician.
Salisbury has made Theresa May look tough and presidential but Labour’s stance of “Let’s await the outcome of the process” is less convincing and needs more intensive media examination.
