BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria)

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BBC Look North
Format Regional News
Presented by Jeff Brown
Production
Producer(s) BBC North East and Cumbria
Running time Main edition: 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original airing 1964 -
Chronology
Related shows BBC Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)
BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands)
North East Tonight

BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for the BBC North East and Cumbria region. The programmes are produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne with journalists also based at newsrooms in Middlesbrough, Durham, York and Carlisle.

Contents

[edit] Reception

The programme can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite channel 975 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite service. It broadcasts from the Pontop Pike, Chatton, Bilsdale and Caldbeck transmitters. The Caldbeck transmitter will be one of the first to switch off the analogue signal in June 2009.

[edit] History

Prior to the start of Look North, the BBC television region launched in 1962 with Home at Six, a weeknight 20-minute news magazine presented by Frank Bough from studios at 54 New Bridge Street in the city centre of Newcastle. After Bough left to join BBC Sport in 1964, the programme was relaunched with a new name and a new presenter - Mike Neville, an actor & continuity announcer for Tyne Tees Television who had been anchor of North East Newsview, a nightly regional news programme, for only a few months.

Neville soon became a household name and spent the next thirty two years at the BBC in Newcastle, presenting Look North as well as making regular appearances on Nationwide, alongside other members of the Look North team.

For a short period in the late 1980s, Cumbria was switched to the BBC North West region and began receiving North West Tonight instead of Look North, along with a short lunchtime news opt-out. The North East and Cumbria region was reformed after campaigning by viewers in Cumbria that they were being overlooked in favour of news from the more populous areas of the north west, such as Greater Manchester and Merseyside. It was during this time that on 16 January 1988, BBC North East moved to brand new purpose built studios nicknamed 'The Pink Palace' on Barrack Road (A189) in Spital Tongues, along with Radio Newcastle.

In 1996, Neville left the BBC after 32 years to re-join Tyne Tees Television to present their flagship evening news programme North East Tonight. Look North underwent major changes with new presenters Carol Malia and John Lawrence (both former reporters for Tyne Tees) introduced to the programme. Malia now presents the main evening programme solo.

Look North was the second English region to switch to the BBC News generic set and opening titles on 18 October 1999. It followed a second generic look across regional news on the 16 September 2002. The current look for the programme was introduced on 16 May 2005 with new titles & graphics introduced on 21 April 2008.

Carol Malia is currently on maternity leave. She has been replaced by sports presenter Jeff Brown - with former ITV Tyne Tees sports presenter Dawn Thewlis taking over Brown's original role.

[edit] On Air

On weekdays, Look North broadcasts six three-minute opt-outs during BBC Breakfast at 27 and 57 minutes past each hour. A fifteen-minute lunchtime programme follows at 1:30pm before the main half-hour edition at 6:30pm. A short 30-second headlines update during the 8pm BBC News Summary and a seven-minute late update is shown at 10:25pm, following the BBC News at Ten.

Five-minute bulletins of news and sport are broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays, although times vary.

[edit] The team

Currently, the Look North on-air team includes:

[edit] Newscasters

  • Colin Briggs (Breakfast and lunch bulletins)
  • Jeff Brown (Main programme)

[edit] Reporters

News Correspondents

  • Keith Akehurst
  • Sharon Barbour *
  • Charlie Charlton *
  • Alison Freeman
  • Carla Fowler
  • Wendy Gibson *
  • Sharuna Sagar *
  • Lyttanya Shannon
  • Andy Smythe
  • Alison Wood
  • Cathy Killick
  • Chris Storey
  • Mark McAlindon
  • Adrian Pitches
  • Stuart Whincup
  • Lara Rostron *
  • Stephanie Lloyd *
  • Gerry Jackson *
  • Richard Thomas *
  • Damian O'Neil

Specialist Correspondents

  • Mark Denten (Political Correspondent)
  • Chris Stewart (Chief Correspondent)
  • Richard Moss (Political Editor)
  • Ian Reeves (Business Correspondent)

Reporters marked with an * also act as newscasters.

[edit] Sports team

  • Mark Clemet (Correspondent)
  • Katie Gornall (Correspondent)
  • Dawn Thewlis (Correspondent and presenter)
  • Mark Tulip (Correspondent and stand-in presenter)

[edit] Weather presenters

  • Trai Anfield
  • Hannah Bayman
  • Paul Mooney

[edit] Past presenters

Presenter BBC Look North title Current Position
Mike Neville News Main Presenter Moved to ITV Tyne Tees though since retired
Tom Kilgour News Presenter
Simon Willis News Presenter Now BBC Scotland reporter and presenter on Newsnight Scotland
John Lawrence News Presenter Moved to ITV Tyne Tees as a presenter, later producer, though since left
George House News Presenter
Chris Eakin News Presenter Now 24-hour BBC News channel presenter
Riz Lateef News Presenter Now BBC London main presenter of BBC London News
Beverley Thompson News Presenter Now BBC South East main co-presenter of South East Today
Tony Baker News Presenter
Carol Malia News Main Presenter Currently on maternity leave from June 2009.
Sara Thornton Weather presenter Temporary contract ended in June 2009.

[edit] See also

BBC North East & Cumbria's rival ITV regional news programmes, produced by ITV Tyne Tees & Border.

[edit] External links

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