The Andrew Marr Show
| The Andrew Marr Show | |
|---|---|
 Andrew Marr show logo |
|
| Also known as | Sunday AM (2005–2007) |
| Genre | Politics |
| Presented by | Andrew Marr |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Libby Jukes Brian Hollywood Catherine Elgonaid |
| Editor(s) | Barney Jones |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | 11 September 2005 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Breakfast with Frost |
The Andrew Marr Show is an hour-long British television programme broadcast on BBC One on Sunday mornings from 9am. It is presented by Andrew Marr, previously the BBC's Political Editor. In it, the host interviews political figures and others involved in the current events of the week. It replaced the long-running Breakfast with Frost programme when David Frost decided to retire in 2005. The programme begins with a review of the Sunday papers, for which Marr is joined by two different guests each week. It also features a BBC News and BBC Weather update. The programme shares a studio with The Politics Show, BBC Breakfast, BBC News at Six, Newsnight and HARDtalk.
The show was launched on 11 September 2005 as Sunday AM, but was renamed The Andrew Marr Show for the new series in September 2007. The editor is Barney Jones and the producers are Libby Jukes, Brian Hollywood and Catherine Elgonaid. The title sequence is a pastiche of the television series The Prisoner.
Contents |
[edit] Guests
The Andrew Marr Show usually features one Cabinet-level UK minister, a representative from the Opposition, one big-name non-political guest and two other celebrities or 'name' journalists as Sunday paper reviewers.
Since 2009, notable guests have included: Sir Tom Jones, Dmitry Medvedev (President of Russia), Sting, Morgan Tsvangirai (Prime Minister of Zimbabwe), Jay-Z, Tony Hayward (The then CEO of BP), Bob Geldof, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Ban Ki-Moon (UN Secretary-General), Sir Michael Caine, Kevin Rudd (The then Prime Minister of Australia) and David Cameron (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom).[1]
[edit] Viewing figures
The Andrew Marr Show averages around 2 million viewers an episode, representing a 30% audience share'.[2]
[edit] Summer
Each year Marr is away for several weeks during the summer. In past years, the programme was replaced by News 24 Sunday, which was hosted by Peter Sissons. The programme had a similar format to The Andrew Marr Show, but was also broadcast on the BBC News channel, and came from the channel's studio. From 2008 the show has been presented by relief presenters as detailed below:
[edit] Guest presenters
| Date | Presenter |
|---|---|
| 3 August 2008 | Zeinab Badawi |
| 19 October 2008 | Sophie Raworth |
| 18 January 2009 | Fiona Bruce |
| 2 August 2009 | Stephanie Flanders |
| 9 August 2009 | Sophie Raworth |
| 16 August 2009 | Huw Edwards |
| 15 November 2009 | Sophie Raworth |
| 11 July 2010 | Martha Kearney |
| 1 August 2010 | Emily Maitlis |
| 8 August 2010 | James Landale |
| 24 July 2011 | James Landale |
| 31 July 2011 | Sophie Raworth |
| 6 November 2011 | Jeremy Vine |
[edit] Controversy
In September 2009 the BBC received hundreds of complaints over the questioning of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, after Andrew Marr questioned Brown on the health of his eyes, and whether he used prescription painkillers.[3] The complaints came from viewers and MPs. Lord Mandelson criticised the question as being of 'personal intrusiveness'.[3] The Editor of the show, Barney Jones, was forced to defend the questioning, responding to complaints, he said:
We felt that with a general election looming and with former and current cabinet ministers warning of electoral defeat unless the party turned round its current position, a robust interview centred on the economy and the Prime Minister's leadership was appropriate. The former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, suggested this month that health might be a reason for the Prime Minister to stand down and within the context of a long interview about policy it was reasonable also to ask Mr Brown about his health. The issue of his health and whether it affects his ability to perform the onerous job of leading the party and the country was pertinent, and has been raised with other Prime Ministers in the past.[4]
The BBC responded to complaints on 12 October 2009.
[edit] References
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andrew_marr_show/previous_guests/default.stm
- ^ BARB - www.barb.co.uk/
- ^ a b Marr's questioning of PM defended BBC News, 3 October 2009
- ^ The Andrew Marr Show, interview with Gordon Brown, BBC One, 27 September 2009 BBC Complaints, 12 October 2009
