Weekend World
Weekend World is a British television political series, made by London Weekend Television (LWT) and broadcast from 1972 to 1988.
Created by John Birt not long after he moved to LWT, the series was broadcast on the ITV network at lunchtimes on Sundays. It featured a forensic interview with a major political figure each week.
It was presented by Peter Jay initially when first broadcast in 1972, but was best-remembered for being anchored by former Labour MP Brian Walden between 1977 and 1986. Conservative MP Matthew Parris took over in 1986, resigning his seat, and presented the programme until the series ended in 1988. Walden in particular gained a reputation for 'grilling' his interviewees over an extended interview in a manner which has only occasionally been seen on British television since. Parris, on the other hand, was largely criticised for his lighter and more laid-back style.
The theme music used throughout the series run was the closing bars of "Nantucket Sleighride", originally written and recorded by the progressive rock group Mountain, although 'Weekend World' used a 1979 cover by Quartz from 1979 onwards[citation needed].
External links
- That was reality TV, that was, an article by Gerard Baker in the Financial Times, published Oct 07, 2002