BBC News at Ten

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BBC News at Ten
File:BBC News at Ten.png
The current programme titles
Created byBBC News
Presented byHuw Edwards
Fiona Bruce
Theme music composerDavid Lowe
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locationsStudio E, Broadcasting House, London
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release16 October 2000 (2000-10-16) –
present
Related

BBC News at Ten — formerly known as the BBC Ten O'Clock News or the Ten O'Clock News — is the flagship evening news programme for British television channel BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented by Huw Edwards, and deputised by Fiona Bruce. It is Monday to Sunday at 10:00pm on BBC One. The programme was controversially moved from 9:00pm on 16 October 2000. The main presenter simultaneously holds the lead presenter role for major events, election night (from 2015) and breaking news for BBC News.

The programme features thirty minutes of British national and international news, with an emphasis on the latter. It incorporates around twelve minutes (every Monday to Thursday, seven minutes on Fridays) of news from the BBC regions around the country, at approximately 10:30pm to 10:45pm Monday to Thursday, and 10:25pm to 10:35pm every Friday; this is followed by a national weather forecast. On Saturday and Sunday, it runs from 10:00pm to 10:20pm, then from 10:20pm to 10:30pm, the news from the BBC regions around the country. During the first three months of its revival, ITV News at Ten averaged 2.2 million viewers compared with an average of 4.8 million viewers watching the BBC bulletin over the same period.[1]

History

The programme was launched on 16 October 2000, replacing the former BBC Nine O'Clock News, which had been on the air since 14 September 1970. Its launch presenters were Michael Buerk and Peter Sissons. The move to 10 o'clock was a response to the controversial axing of rival broadcaster ITV's News at Ten. ITV reinstated a 20-minute news bulletin at 10:00pm in 22 January 2001, instigating a head-to-head clash with the BBC. The BBC's Ten O'Clock News eventually became the more popular programme, establishing itself on the BBC One schedule for at least six days a week. ITV's bulletin suffered as a result of poor scheduling, and in 2 February 2004 the bulletin moved to 10:30pm.[2] In 2008, ITV reinstated News at Ten which remains the BBC's main competitor.

Michael Buerk presenting in 2000

Buerk and Sissons left the BBC Ten O'Clock News on 19 January 2003 to make way for presenters Huw Edwards and Fiona Bruce. To mark this presenter reshuffle, on Monday 20 January 2003 as Edwards and Bruce took over, the bulletin and the rest of BBC One news bulletins were relaunched with a new studio.

Since 5 February 2006, the bulletin has been simulcast on the BBC News channel. Following the BBC One bulletin, the remaining portion of the BBC Ten O'Clock News Hour is presented by Clive Myrie or Martine Croxall and features a review of the following morning's newspaper front pages.[clarification needed]

On 21 April 2008 the programme, along with the rest of BBC News, underwent a graphical refresh and moved into a refurbished studio (N6). It also changed its name to BBC News at Ten.

After the regional news, there is a weather forecast from the BBC Weather Centre: presenters include Rob McElwee, Peter Gibbs, John Hammond and Philip Avery.

BBC News at Ten was named News Programme of the Year at the RTS Television Journalism Awards in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

The programme, along with the BBC News channel and the other BBC One bulletins, moved to Broadcasting House and began broadcasting in high-definition on 18 March 2013.[3]

Following a five-month trial during the run-up to the 2015 general election, it was announced that BBC News at Ten will be permanently extended by ten minutes between Monday and Thursday from January 2016.[4]

Out-of-studio presenting

As well as presenting from the main studio, the main presenters are called upon to present on location when major stories break. For example, Huw Edwards reported live from Washington for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 US Presidential Elections and has presented live from Basra at the withdrawal ceremony. He also regularly presented from Westminster, as well as from Edinburgh (at times when the referendum for Scottish independence was being developed).

During the 2012 Summer Olympics, presenters also made use of BBC's makeshift studios overlooking the Olympic Park at Stratford. George Alagiah presented from L'Aquila in April 2009, Haiti in 2010, Egypt in 2011, and Tacloban in 2013.

Staff

Editor

Paul Royall has been the editor of BBC News at Ten and BBC News at Six since July 2013.[5] Royall joined the BBC from ITV Meridian in 1997, working on News 24. He later became Deputy Editor of BBC Breakfast in January 2004, to the Editor Mark Grannell.[6] In May 2009 he became the Deputy Editor of the News at Ten and News at Six. He became Editor on 22 July 2013, replacing James Stephenson who became Head of BBC World News.[5]

Presenters

Years Presenter Current role
2003–present Huw Edwards Main presenter (Monday–Thursday)
2003–present Fiona Bruce Main presenter (Friday), relief presenter
2003–present Sophie Raworth Relief presenter
2014–present Reeta Chakrabarti
2014–present Jane Hill
2015–present Clive Myrie

Former presenters

If there is no position before the years of being a presenter, then this newsreader was either a relief presenter or occasional guest presenter.

See also

References

  1. ^ "BBC wins the News ratings battle". The Guardian. 17 April 2008. "Media" section.
  2. ^ Fitzwalter, Raymond (1 January 2008). "The Dream That Died: The Rise and Fall of ITV". Troubador Publishing – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "BBC News' television output moves to new studios at Broadcasting House". BBC. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  4. ^ "BBC News at Ten to extend by 10 minutes". BBC. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b [1] Article on appointment and background in Press Gazette
  6. ^ [2] BBC News article.

External links