Mark Lawson



Profile:


Full name: Mark Lawson

Area of interest: Culture and Media

Journals: The Guardian

Email: [mailto:marklawson@guardian.co.uk mark.lawson@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co

Blog: Comment is free... | the blog theatre & performing arts

Agent:

Networks:



Biography:
Education: St Columba's College, St Albans; University College London: English

Career: freelance contributor to numerous publications, beginning on The Universe, 1984; The Times, 1984/86; The Independent, 1986/95; The Guardian: column since 1995- Current position/role: Columnist and feature writer


 * also writes/has written for: The Tablet as theatre critic, and contibutes to The First Post

Other roles: Journalist, author, broadcaster

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight: Comment is free: My life as a Catholic Jew The Guardian, 24th March 2006

TV/Radio: Presented BBC TV's The Late Show (BBC2) in the 1990's, also presenting The Late Review (aka Newsnight Review, 1994/2005; currently presents BBC Radio 4's arts magazine Front Row; also fronts BBC Four: 'Mark Lawson talks to...', 2006


 * Wrote: episodes of the television version of the BBC sitcom 'Absolute Power'; television play, 'The Vision Thing'; radio plays, including, St Graham and St Evelyn, 2003, The Third Soldier Holds His Thighs, 2005; a BBC Four documentary: The Truth About Sixties TV

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours: Has twice been voted TV critic of the Year

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * Bloody Margaret: three political fantasies OCLC 24748128, 1991
 * The battle for room service: journeys to all the safe places OCLC300336447, 1994
 * Idlewild, or, everything is subject to change OCLC33011075, fiction, 1995
 * Going Out Live, or, Are they the same at home OCLC49690851, fiction, 2002
 * Enough Is enough, or, the emergency government: OCLC60688406, fiction, 2005

Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Guardian: Comment
Column remit:

Section: Comment & Debate

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:marklawson@guardian.co.uk marklawson@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Mark Lawson

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Friday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 850 words



Articles:

 * porn to Portillo'' - Many ex-ministers fall for the temptations of on-air fame, but it's salutary to recall Harold Wilson's fate - 31st January 2011
 * television'' - Harrison Ford as Adrian Chiles? Fictional and real breakfast shows share a lot more than a name - 20th January 2011
 * sequels will not come first this year'' - With films like The King's Speech and 127 Hours to enjoy, I refuse to be gloomy about the future of cinema - 3rd January 2011
 * tinsel pound makes children of us all again'' - From pantos to atheism, from Great War slaughter to Ronnie Corbett, every hit festive show will make us look back in wonder - 4th December 2010
 * bullying: a lot of friction over fiction'' - The military chiefs' over-the-top reaction to the BBC broadcast of a Jimmy McGovern play opens up a can of worms - 22nd November 2010
 * viewers are revolting'' - These days even creators of sirs and serfs dramas can expect tough tweets and fast blogged feedback - 3rd November 2010
 * Taking of Prince Harry and the limits of TV drama'' - With Channel 4 under fire for making a film in which Prince Harry is kidnapped by the Taliban, Mark Lawson asks: are there some places drama shouldn't go? - 14th October 2010
 * Gamu Nhengu Factor'' - The singer's ejection from X Factor and maybe Britain could have an impact well beyond TV - 9th October 2010
 * The random ambushes of life can make or break a PM'' - The kind of loss Cameron suffered this week will cause great private grief but nothing that happens to a leader is ever neutral - 10th September 2010
 * reality check for the nation is a risky strategy'' - Students, homeowners, footballers and generals might all benefit from lowered expectations. But voters may not like it - 21st August 2010
 * BBC's new film trailer may have a hidden message'' - Is the corporation trying to tell Jeremy Hunt something? - 29th July 2010
 * leaders beware: there are John Terrys everywhere'' - Traditional hierarchies are crumbling, and it isn't only football managers left having to deal with teams full of soloists - 25th June 2010
 * austerity push heralds a new age: of conspicuous non-consumption'' - In this climate of public parsimony, millionaires like George Osborne will fear being branded the Ashley Cole of the cabine - 27th May 2010
 * in the Vatican'' - From Foreign Office memo writers to precient novelists, the pope and Catholicism have become the evil force of choice - 26th April 2010
 * pop-culture love-in'' - David Cameron loves Take That, Gordon Brown's addicted to Glee, Nick Clegg's an Othello nut . . . as politicians vie for cultural kudos, Mark Lawson asks: who are they trying to kid? - 23rd April 2010 (Cif at the polls)
 * and theatre should separate and end this glorified casting couch'' - The BBC must not let itself be used as an advertising billboard for Andrew Lloyd Webber's lucrative West End productions - 31st March 2010
 * a way through grief'' - Books on bereavement are a rare mix of personal and universal – cathartic for both reader and writer - 13th March 2010
 * quarter-century in Albert Square offers a telling omnibus of UK politics'' - EastEnders' 25 years map sweeping changes in the state of TV, and of Britain. In its 26th year, it could be used to attack the BBC - 16th February 2010
 * 1, Jokers 0'' - Milton Keynes is up for the World Cup – and the concrete cows are over the moon - 19th December 2009
 * feelgood spin doctors'' - Bad times call for upbeat slogans, producers seem to think, no matter what the film is really about - 11th December 2009
 * this a new golden age for British theatre?'' - While British film and TV struggle, our theatre scene is booming, with star turns from our greatest actors, and stand-out work from young writers. But can it last? - 3rd December 2009
 * biggest fanatics'' - Celebrity obsessives are not new. But Twilight's star and boyband JLS face a new, Twitterfied breed - 28th November 2009
 * I fluffed my exit lines'' - It was not boredom but anger that tempted me to leave a play in mid-show – but I lacked the courage - 21st November 2009
 * me the Money'' - I'm thrilled that Martin Amis's great novel is to be adapted for screen – but the omens aren't good - 13th November 2009
 * Jedward paradox and what it means'' - The X Factor audience revolt may reflect anger at bankers – but it also suggests a format malaise - 6th November 2009
 * this really what Michael Jackson would have wanted?'' - The 'concert movie' This Is It raises many moral questions, but one thing that's clear is how dull Kenny Ortega's film is - 31st October 2009
 * artificially intelligent music may speak to our minds, but not our souls'' - Musicians express the communication between humans, something Emily Howell will never be able to understand - 23rd October 2009
 * primary importants'' - Encounters with writing by student critics leaves me thinking school ought to start earlier, not later - 17th October 2009
 * Mail's last post'' - Just as the miners did, postal workers now risk destroying their profession because of strike action - 9th October 2009
 * functions'' - The media may want the doctors' details, but recent events underline the value of medical confidentiality - 2nd October 2009
 * Women'' - Loose Women's 10th anniversary really isn't worth celebrating - 1st October 2009
 * future ornament'' - Poor Prince William. He wants to emulate his parents, but a life of ribbon cutting awaits - 26th September 2009
 * in the clouds'' - To censor pictures of the famous holding cigarettes betrays a curious idea of what makes people smoke - 19th September 2009
 * fiction can still stand the test of time'' - As the Booker shortlist shows, authors prefer to write about the past. Yet great novels of their era feel fresh decades on - 11th September 2009
 * needs Hollywood stars any more?'' - When box office success owes more to the brand than actors, there's little worth in a megastar's fee - 5th September 2009
 * living in the fast lane'' - It may be Clarkson worship or even puma envy, but despite rehab I'm still addicted to speed - 29th August 2009
 * killed Big Brother?'' - Channel 4 is pulling the plug on the show that changed TV for ever – but that has been stretched way beyond its shelf life - 27th August 2009
 * behaviour'' - If Semanya is simply unusual, the athletics authority has failed horribly in its duty of care - 21st August 2009
 * endeavor'' - Enthusiasm for a leaders' debate is just the latest British effort to ape the ways of The West Wing - 31st July 2009
 * on the funny bone'' - Politicians under fire from satirists should never rub their bruises. The smart move is to laugh along - 25th July 2009
 * vital medium bestows a curious kind of immortality'' - No matter how familiar we are with recorded performance, an element of confusion remains when viewing the dead - 17th July 2009
 * Come Sexism'' - Whatever the BBC says, its treatment of Arlene Phillips will give rise to disquieting perceptions - 11th July 2009
 * behaviour? Best ask Freddie and the gougers'' - Corinthian integrity may have long left our games, but they still manage to construct strange ethical codes of their own - 3rd July 2009
 * of a death oversold'' - Michael Jackson's death demonstrated the impressive velocity of online news. I just worry about the veracity and the values - 27th June 2009
 * hypocrisy'' - Managers who have long defended their huge pay have a cheek asking staff to work for nothing - 19th June 2009
 * with a mission'' - Cultural manifestos are built on a contradictory idea: using conventions to be unconventional - 13th June 2009
 * smugglers'' - There's a big difference between the odd playful reference and a free ride on the back of a classic - 5th June
 * shades of grey'' - Just how much are the 28,540 households that stick to black-and-white telly missing out on? - 29th May 2009
 * greedy pig fever is tearing up the media rulebook'' - These days of duck landlords and mortgage scams have put a serious strain on brave teachers of journalistic ethics - 23rd May 2009
 * legislature of Lumleys'' - Voters' disgust at MPs could bring a rush of new members – but are the substitutes up to the job? - 15th May 2009
 * Watch'' - Property shows used to be either boastful or dreamy. Now they are impressively pessimistic - 14th May 2009
 * fan's apocalypse'' - Reactions to the ref's decision after Chelsea-Barcelona match illustrated how much judgment can be occluded by partisanship - 9th May 2009
 * and symbolic'' - The choice of Carol Ann Duffy as poet laureate is a bold one, and could well be a worthwhile gift to the culture of a nation - 2nd May 2009
 * Grade – last of a dying breed'' - The former ITV chief uniquely understood the combination of pizazz and intelligence that a television schedule required - 24th April 2009
 * big political shows missed McBride'' - A journalistic pace from a time when politics meant 'events in the Commons' is inappropriate for our 24-hour media culture - 23rd April 2009
 * on the neighbours'' - Grassing up students and going through strangers' trash just doesn't square with the trust agenda - 18th April 2009
 * way past bedtime'' - Novels are designed to be read, not heard. The audiobook boom risks infantilising literature - 10th April 2009
 * writer like Marquez can have no retirement date'' - The Nobel laureate may be quitting, but history shows that an author's career can survive even death - 3rd April 2009 (see: Gabriel García Márquez, literary giant, lays down his pen)
 * like theatres, deliver drama but also great pretence'' - There is something elementally compelling about trials. The Hodgson and Fritzl cases serve up contrasting examples - 20th March 2009
 * Andy. Real beer at the Rovers Return won't kill us'' - There is a commerical and an artistic defence for TV product placement. Burnham's ban smacks of patronising nannying - 13th March 2009
 * young to get it'' - For years I delighted in mocking this novelist. With the benefit of age, I see how wrong I was - 6th March 2009
 * art of persuasion'' - Participation has a role in attracting the young to high culture. But doing can never trump viewing - 28th February 2009
 * tabloid Carmen'' - Modern opera and social realism don't always mix. But Anna Nicole Smith's story could be a winner - 13th February 2009
 * of the docs'' - Want a hit record? Then get your track played on one of Holby City's slow, meaningful montages - 9th February 2009
 * all in public now'' - Surveillance and snitches may mean celebrities will not be the only ones to rue unguarded remarks - 7th February 2009
 * book of booze'' - Strict drinking ages are of little use to those fighting the hormonal wars of independence - 30th January 2009
 * statuette Olympics'' - British triumph in the Oscar nominations is a tribute to our tradition of cultural subsidy - 23rd January 2009
 * of surprise'' - Critics are being urged to keep plots secret, but is ignorance really bliss for the viewing public? - 16th January 2009
 * Brother's grandpa'' - From Hancock to reality TV, the renovation of dramatic dialogue owes much to Pinter's works - 2nd January 2009
 * Hallelujahs'' - The brouhaha around competing covers of this great Leonard Cohen song is weirdly fitting - 19th December 2008
 * play's the thing'' - The mania for star actors has got out of hand when audiences will only turn up for Tennant as Hamlet - 12th December 2008
 * a tough call, but England must go back to bat again'' - For the same reasons it boycotted South Africa, our cricket team has to return to India. But spare a thought for the players - 5th December 2008
 * poet. Must not be shy, deviant or Pam Ayres'' - Poet laureate has become a job worth having at last. The downside is that, as Andrew Motion found, the press is interested too - 27th November 2008
 * the Lord'' - Monks in the charts, exorcisms on TV, a statue of Jesus sexually aroused. Why artists can't resist the lure of Christianity - 26th November 2008
 * you were right'' - The shock jock's sacking suggests a loss of nerve on freedom of speech, as does the BNP exposure - 21st November 2008
 * Screaming Lord Sutch of the dancefloor'' - Did John Sergeant feel trapped in a rather vulgar and undignified farce? - 20th November 2008
 * tupping the puppet is a recipe for ruined lives'' - Whether through Second Life or The X Factor, the industrialisation of day dreaming seems deeply symbolic of modern life - 15th November 2008
 * poisonous prescription'' - Allowing rich patients to pay for better pills than their neighbours' sits ill with the NHS's principles - 7th November 2008
 * to the Blander Broadcasting Corporation'' - As with previous TV and radio scandals, the Brand and Ross rumpus will be used by BBC managers to justify cuts and caution - 30th October 2008
 * of the dead funny'' - Posthumous humour is a hot genre, but laughter feels a little complicated with the just-deceased - 18th October 2008
 * formal rejection'' - Nobel judges like their books experimental - to the cost of the classic American novelists - 10th October 2008
 * lies and videotape'' - These sadistic initiation ceremonies reflect Britain's culture of whooping cruelty - 4th October 2008
 * year of the novice'' - Seasoned politicians both sides of the Atlantic are running on experience - a very risky strategy - 26th September 2008
 * the heavens'' - Scientists may be trying to engage with believers, but experiments won't resolve the big questions - 22nd September 2008
 * triumph for heresy'' - In Zagreb the England footballers put the boot into one of sport's most cherished traditions - 12th September 2008
 * lesson in verse'' -Carol Ann Duffy's work on violence is ideal for classroom discussion. It's a poem, not a memo - 5th September 2008
 * before have I been so moved, or enraged, by a play'' - I came out of Deep Cut feeling rage and guilt. It points to a failure of journalism, and demands a government response - 29th August 2008
 * who seek readers'' - JFK did it. Brown does it. And now every aspirant puts out a book. But the psychology is very odd - 22nd August 2008
 * That golden age? It never happened, except in the minds of pessimists - Those who invoke a great British past might get a shock if forced to live their lives then, instead of these privileged times - 1st August 2008
 * Radio Miliband: Well tuned to Brown's fears - Foreign secretary's on air joke sounds like the gag of a man thinking about Downing Street - 1st August 2008
 * The Panama mystery - Mr and Mrs Canoe's case fascinates but can't match crime fiction's satisfying motives and denouement - 25th July 2008
 * The end of cinematic sex - The explicit scenes in Nicholas Roeg's new film feel passe - it's all been done on the internet - 18th July 2008
 * Trouble with Heathcliff - Brown and Obama are not the first politicians to stumble in taking on the fluffy questions - 11th July 2008
 * We are the alien nation - Recent 'sightings' expose a collective anxiety that has more to do with security fears than ET - 4th July 2008
 * takeoff'' - John Wayne's got it, but Diana hasn't. It takes a special something to get your name on an airport - 27th June 2008
 * Spun to be home-spun - The latest treatment of Michelle Obama reveals the enduring woman problem in politics - 20th June 2008
 * Unattended packages - Leaving secret anti-terror files on a train sends a troubling message to al - Qaida: we are silly - 13th June 2008
 * Classification dismissed - A plan to print suggested reading ages on children's books has their authors up in arms, and rightly so - 6th June 2008
 * Still crazy - and controversial - after all these years - What do Big Brother and George Bush have in common? - 6th June 2008
 * This loophole is real. But the remedy is really perverse - The urge to outlaw computer-made images of abuse is not mad, it's just wrong. It imperils free artistic expression - 31st May 2008
 * Family misfortune - As the Queen is finding, even the most guarded reputation is imperilled by one's tacky relatives - 23rd May 2008
 * Weapons we can't handle - This spate of stabbings defies simple remedy, with knives so available and anger so inevitable - 16th May 2008
 * This lethal peepshow - A global village of news from Austria to Burma is creating not worldwide concern, but voyeurism - 9th May 2008
 * Goals and ghosts - The emotional scenes at Chelsea this week were a reminder that football and death often overlap - 2nd May 2008
 * Mission improbable - Derring-do, pop singing, and a presidency: a new breed of priest is giving Catholicism a makeover - 25th April 2008
 * Not in front of the adults - The rules governing bad language on TV seek to protect the innocent. But who are they exactly? - 18th April 2008
 * Existing as fiction - John Betjeman's 'muse' understood perfectly that her portrayal in his poems was not an impersonation but a reimagining of her as a character - 17th April 2008
 * Now we're all time lords - The likes of iPlayer let us watch programmes any time, but we risk losing the shared TV experience - 11th April 2008
 * A formula for morality - The boundaries between public and private life are hardly clear-cut for the son of a fascist leader - 5th April 2008
 * One-hit wonders - Kevin Spacey has called for the return of the BBC's Play for Today. But were these intensely male, leftwing, one-off dramas really the high point of British TV - 2nd April 2008
 * Embroidered memories - Hillary Clinton has admitted she 'misspoke' on Bosnia, but in doing so she uttered rare truth - 28th March 2008
 * This apology underlines the true value of false reporting - The Express group has said sorry and paid hefty damages over McCann stories. But they still know what sells papers - 20th March 2008
 * Exit, stage-right - David Mamet says he is no longer a liberal. But good dramatists know how to argue both sides - 14th March 2008
 * A country of gulfs - Two conflicting stories faced each other across the news pages this week, like rival gangs of children squaring up for a fight - 7th March 2008
 * Nothing for something - Instead of worrying that the drugs don't work we should celebrate the fact that placebos do - 29th February 2008
 * Open to question - Our confused attitude to transparency means it can provoke as much cynicism as secrecy does - 22nd February 2008
 * An instant classic - The Polaroid was beloved of spies, pornographers, cops - and me, but for very different reasons - 15th February 2008
 * Let the final credits roll - If Grange Hill, with all its narrative muscle, can't avoid TV's mercy killers, it will be Blue Peter next - 8th February 2008
 * A new golden age in cinema - A revolution in ambition and intelligence has brought us films to rival those of the 40s and 70s - 1st February 2008
 * Populist prejudice - Crime books easier to write than 'serious' novels? That attitude is, frankly, cobblers - 25th January 2008
 * Tout la monde - The selling-on of tickets is becoming a corporate affair - but the average consumer is still the loser - 12th January 2008
 * How fiction lost the plot - The latest book of the year shortlist can't disguise the prejudices that threaten literature - 5th January 2008
 * TV's future should not lie in the past - Programme makers must not forget that the best shows have all begun as risky projects - 29th December 2007
 * In a modern democracy, it should be possible for a leader to be religiously anything or nothing - Saturday 22nd December 2007
 * The Australian proposal for day-night Tests has revealed a reactionary in this former radical - Friday December 14th 2007
 * The hyper-reality of fiction techniques has transformed the way we consume the news - Friday 7th December 2007
 * As I'm a Celebrity stars are finding, real reality can prove more eventful than the TV show - Friday 30th November 2007
 * We must allow England's sports stars, bloated by hype and crushed by expectation, to aim lower - Friday 23rd November 2007



The Guardian: 'TV matters'
Column remit: Issues and politics of TV broadcast media and related areas

Section:

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:marklawson@guardian.co.uk mark.lawson@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co | Guardian.co/TV & Radio

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Thursday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:


 * also contributes to theblog film



Articles:

 * Norton'' - The Graham Norton Show is pioneering a fresh new format - with surprising results - 3rd February 2011
 * Gray'' - Broadcasters must always assume that the mics and cameras are on all the time - 27th January 2011
 * Sunday Night Show'' - The ratings are decent, but is Adrian Chiles's new show about the chat or the gags? - 20th January 2011
 * O'Reilly's victory'' - Miriam O'Reilly's victory and other television disputes indicate a busy time ahead for the lawyers - 13th January 2011
 * matters: channel crossing'' - Reality shows such as Britain's Got Talent have broken down the barriers between television channels - 6th January 2011
 * Cameron'' - David Cameron's luck with TV continues: all the prime minister's recent difficulties have occurred when the political shows have been on holiday - 30th December 2010
 * and Peep Show'' - There are good reasons why both sitcoms went for the single-room location this week... - 23rd December 2010
 * Huw Edwards really the new David Dimbleby?'' - The newsreader may be anchoring the royal wedding, but don't count out the veteran presenter yet - 16th December 2010
 * X Factor's other verdict: Simon Cowell's control has its limits'' - Painter-decorator Matt Cardle won last night's X Factor final, leaving the show's creator, Simon Cowell, to lick his wounds after being ignored by the British public - 13th December 2010
 * going to share Portillo's seat?'' - With Diane Abbott no longer Michael Portillo's partner on This Week, Mark Lawson has a replacement in mind ... - 9th December 2010
 * cracks the television screen'' - By addressing the camera directly, Miranda Hart joins a very distinctive televisual group - 2nd December 2010
 * Simon Amstell shook up BBC Breakfast'' - It was bad enough breaking the show's sofa protocol – but Amstell's cancer joke really rattled presenters Sian Williams and Bill Turnbull - 25th November 2010
 * the royal engagement is a great TV leveller'' - Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement dominated Newsnight – a classic example of how broadcasters are obeying the tyranny of celebrity - 18th November 2010
 * Partridge and his Foster's habit'' - The Norfolk radio jock is back – with cutting-edge online technology - 11th November 2010
 * Moyles on TV – a good thing?'' - What with his Quiz Night and televised breakfast show, there's a lot of Moyles on the small screen – but there are risks - 4th November 2010
 * O'Grady's socialist fury rant was a rare live-TV shock'' - If Paul O'Grady Live was on the BBC, his attack on the Tory cuts would have been taped and de-fanged - 28th October 2010
 * did Rachel Johnson agree to that documentary?'' - The Lady and the Revamp seemed to do her no favours – but boosted sales anyway - 21st October 2010
 * on television'' - Nowadays, you'd never see a poet such as Auden on a chatshow. So what's changed in the culture of television? - 14th October 2010
 * Cameron could be praying for the BBC strike to go ahead'' - Politicians prefer to work in the dark – especially when there are huge budget cuts to announce - 7th October 2010
 * Korea through western eyes'' - A glimpse of North Korea's TV bulletins provides valuable lessons about them – and us - 30th September 2010
 * Lib Dem conference and the return of the gorilla shot'' - 'Behind you!' – TV coverage of the Lib Dem conference shows that David Attenborough's 'gorilla shot' is back - 23rd September 2010
 * controllers of BBC1 don't last long'' - The problem is that BBC1 is trying to be two different things at once - 23rd September 2010
 * the pope, to a clash of news agendas'' - TV coverage of the pope's visit will have to tread a fine line between the demands of the pews and the news - 9th September 2010
 * rebirth of Sherlock'' - Comparing the pilot of hit detective series Sherlock to the finished product is highly revealing - 2nd September 2010
 * Amstell, Larry David and the rise of the 'sim-com''' - From Simon Amstell to Steve Coogan to Trinny and Susannah, today's stars simply play exaggerated versions of themselves. Does it count as acting? - 2nd September 2010
 * Bill lives on'' - Fans of The Bill, Big Brother and all should cheer up – these shows never really end - 26th August 2010
 * Manford will have a tough time juggling The One Show and his standup gigs'' - Manford will be rushed by motorbike from BBC Television Centre to the Hammersmith Apollo - 19th August 2010
 * why American teenagers know their presidential history'' - Fears that modern teenagers are rotting their brains in front of the TV might be wide of the mark - 12th August 2010
 * formula: Neighbours, necrosis and news'' - Richard Desmond's new channel has suffered for being an afterthought terrestrial broadcaster in a digital age - 24th July 2010
 * - Is it the clever visual trickery, or just good solid reporting that pulls in Panorama's viewers - 22nd July 2010
 * Moat and live television news coverage'' - Did the Raoul Moat story really warrant live coverage of the stand-off with police - 15th July 2010
 * Question of Sport – with the rude bits left in'' - Uncensored version of the quiz show to go out at 10.20pm - 8th July 2010
 * Bleakley and Gabby Logan'' - Christine Bleakley's World Cup trip demonstrates that access isn't everything in sports journalism - 1st July 2010
 * Matters: a linguistic oddity in Crimewatch'' - Welsh language speakers were invited to snitch in their native tongue. Why does the BBC deem this desirable? - 24th June 2010
 * Labour leadership debate'' - Diane Abbott gave the sparkiest performance in a format that felt under-organised compared to the over-regulated election debates - 17th June 2010
 * Who and Junior Apprentice'' - It was good to see art turning up in two big, mainstream programmes - 10th June 2010
 * Brother's last launch: One more time, the circus comes to town'' - The opening show of what will be the final series on Channel 4 brought to mind a contemporary adjective: Cowell-esque - 10th June 2010
 * matters: Doctor Who'' - In a timely episode, the Doctor tried to form a coalition of enemies on Saturday night - 3rd June 2010
 * matters: The Million Pound Drop Live'' - This cruel new gameshow raises the question of how far television should adapt to the mood of recession - 27th May 2010
 * to Ashes'' - As Ashes to Ashes and several other series approach the end, Mark Lawson considers the difficult art of the big finish - 20th May 2010
 * Time'' - This new Tory-Lib Dem pact is going to disrupt the visual grammar of political television, says Mark Lawson - 13th May 2010
 * matters'' - All networks, BBC and commercial, are struggling with what it means to be a national broadcaster - 6th May 2010
 * - It can be tricky when fictional television characters watch TV, but Outnumbered manages to make it both believable and funny - 29th April 2010
 * Skinner's Opinionated'' - why Frank Skinner's loss is our gain - 23rd April 2010
 * debate: Leaders' reputations left intact'' - Television history was made but no political reputations were unmade - 15th April 2010
 * matters: live sport on TV'' - It's a perilous game, planning live broadcasts of sporting events - as Match of the Day Live has found to its cost this week - 15th April 2010
 * Door'' - The Door demonstrates the many dangers of the spin-off show - 8th April 2010
 * statements and responses'' - These five-minute broadcasts have barely changed in 50 years. Surely it's time to liven them up a bit? - 1st April 2010
 * Book Club'' - It survived Richard and Judy's departure, but TV Book Club isn't exactly thriving in its solo slot - 25th March 2010
 * A Royal Love Story'' - Fiona Bruce's documentary showed how sensitive the BBC has become to accusations of commercial plugs - 18th March 2010
 * Days and MasterChef'' - Cheeringly, last week's ratings for BBC1 primetime challenge the assumption that cheap reality is more popular than expensive drama - 11th March 2010
 * the Button'' - Ant and Dec's latest gameshow demonstrates how the genre is evolving - 4th March 2010
 * matters: themed programming'' - What will follow talent contests as the new must-have commissions for television? Judging by the schedules, it's all about food - 25th February 2010
 * Brit Awards'' - It was hard to know who the show was aimed at - the hordes at Earls Court or the TV audience at home - 18th February 2010
 * Murders'' - In recent years, the departure of a lead character has done nothing to diminish a drama – much to the dismay of actors and their agents - 12th February 2010
 * Richard Dimbleby Lecture'' - Terry Pratchett proved that speech-based presentations can be done brilliantly on television - 4th February 2010
 * matters: hearings on television'' - Not recorded, but not quite live, hearings such as the Chilcot inquiry pose fascinating problems for TV - 28th January 2010
 * in TV crime drama'' - Googling isn't always a detective's best strategy - 21st January 2010
 * Ross's downfall was of his own making'' - There was always some question over how long Jonathan Ross's scary, sweary approach could last - 12th January 2010
 * correspondents'' - For those despatched to the side of a motorway to report on the latest snow news, there are many presentational rules to be observed - 7th January 2010
 * matters: ubiquitous celebrities on screen'' - They may be hot, but certain popular celebrities are risking overexposure - 31st December 2009
 * TV schedules a dumping ground for expensive drama'' - As television enters a new decade, it seems to be suffering from format freeze - 23rd December 2009
 * on TV'' - Hamlet, in its three-hour-plus entirety, will be shown on BBC2 on Boxing Day - 17th December 2009
 * news coverage of Tiger Woods'' - Comparing US news output with that in Britain raises some interesting questions - 10th December 2009
 * of Saatchi'' - With his no-show in his own programme, Charles Saatchi is part of a TV tradition - 3rd December 2009
 * One Show'' - Suddenly, watching The One Show is all about studying its presenters' body language - 26th November 2009
 * presenters'' -Finding a last-minute replacement to front a show can be a delicate business - 19th November 2009
 * matters: Poppies'' - The wearing of poppies by TV presenters is getting earlier and earlier - 12th November 2009
 * Impressions Show With Culshaw and Stephenson'' - Jon Culshaw does a spot-on impression of . . . Alistair McGowan - 5th November 2009
 * matters'' - The 'look away now' principle doesn't just apply to football results any more - spoilers are becoming endemic - 29th October 2009
 * matters: Question Time'' - Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Tonight raises practical dilemmas for the show's producers - 22nd October 2009
 * matters: live leadership debates'' - The mooted leadership debates on TV are no place for Alex Salmond – or Nick Clegg - 15th October 2009
 * Graham Norton Show'' - Graham Norton's back - and he's parked his tanks firmly on Jonathan Ross's lawn - 8th October 2009
 * problems of subtitling the news'' - It's a tough call for subtitlers, hearing - and spelling - fast-moving speech correctly - 24th September 2009
 * films on TV'' - Big ratings for big films on television could be bad news for TV drama - 17th September 2009
 * Time'' - It's inevitable – and right - that Nick Griffin will appear on Question Time - 10th September 2009
 * Ten O'Clock News'' - Ever wondered what Huw Edwards gets up to once he's signed off the news? - 3rd September 2009
 * Ashes'' - This year's Ashes victory, on Sky, felt less like a shared national moment - 27th August 2009
 * - Do stars of the small screen become as familiar to us as our friends and relatives? - 20th August 2009
 * hindsight doesn't make good drama'' - Too much TV fiction, such as Desperate Romantics or The Take, now depends on historical irony not insight - 13th August 2009
 * art of the episode subtitle'' - Thanks to the flourishing discipline of episode subtitling, writers can no longer relax when they've named their series - 6th August 2009
 * Apprentice, Dragons' Den'' - The BBC has gone strangely quiet on its boasts of its stars' wealth - 30th July 2009
 * Pinter and Simon Gray on BBC4'' - BBC4 lines up a double-handed tribute to Pinter and Gray - 23rd July 2009
 * there anyone still watching Big Brother?'' - 9th July 2009
 * 2009 (BBC)'' - Famous as a player for challenging officialdom, John McEnroe has shown refreshingly little respect for his employer's sensitivities - 2nd July 2009
 * Morning America'' - 25th June 2009
 * football channel is in trouble for paying too much for football games fans don't want to see'' - Just as the collapse of Newcastle United has sent warnings to other football clubs about over-ambitious goals and expenditure, so the even worse financial plight of Setanta Sports - a network on the brink of extinction - will stand as a moral lesson for sports broadcasters - 11th June 2009
 * - In 25 years one aspect has been constant: the crime reconstructions that exploit tragedy for dramatic titillation - 4th June 2009
 * matters: It's BBC English, innit?'' - Sir Alan's 'don't' and 'ain't' are a deliberate declaration that he is on television, rather than in television - 28th May 2009
 * matters: Deja news'' - The routine reminder to swap channels at 10.30pm assumes viewers want to watch both shows - 21st May 2009
 * Got Talent'' - After demonstrating its PR power with the success of Susan Boyle, is Britain's Got Talent now heading for a fall - 7th May 2009
 * end of the South Bank Show'' - The scuttling of ITV's flagship arts programme, Melvyn Bragg's South Bank Show, confirms television's abandonment of culture - 7th May 2009
 * cameo'' - John Sergeant risked ending up in A&E after Strictly Come Dancing. Now he's in Casualty - 30th April 2009
 * the Night (BBC1)'' - 16th April 2009
 * of the Day without Shearer'' - 9th April 2009
 * today's arts programmes age so quickly?'' - Arts shows from the last 30 years hold comedy and tragedy – and a gravity that we seem to have lost - 2nd April 2009
 * Chris Moyles reinvented himself, or is he having an identity crisis?'' - 27th March 2009
 * two new shows tackling the phenomenon of sudden disappearance'' - 19th March 2009
 * Wendy Richard: To Tell You the Truth (BBC1)'' - 12th March 2009
 * I've Never Seen Star Wars'' - 5th March 2009
 * Richard, who died today, created two iconic characters in her career'' - 27th February 2009
 * of the cliches of TV news - an easy image of urgency or power - is cars speeding past the camera'' - 26th February 2009
 * Peter under threat'' - 19th February 2009
 * Under the Hammer | To Buy Or Not To Buy'' - 12th February 2009
 * 2009'' - 5th February 2009
 * Sky News on Sunday afternoon, men's necklines became the headlines'' - 29th January 2009
 * of Ross: A thin line between Brand and bland'' - BBC's high command prayed for dullness in the comeback show, and, with deft use of scissors, they got it - 24th January 2009
 * Chef Takes On Little Chef'' - 22nd January 2009
 * Randall Live'' - 15th January 2009
 * anyone is looking for a good night's entertainment, I recommend episodes 19-22 of season seven of The West Wing'' - 8th January 2009
 * Skinner's Panorama'' - 1st January 2009
 * telephone and the trouble it has proved for television'' - 18th December 2008
 * week's biggest TV event took place off-screen: the UK release of the box-set of all five seasons of The Wire'' - 11th December 2008
 * - 4th December 2008
 * News'' - 27th November 2008
 * (BBC1)'' - 20th November 2008
 * an unusual degree, this US election was driven by television moments'' - 6th November 2008
 * the case of The Office, the US cousin has grown so far from its roots that only trace elements remain'' - 30th October 2008
 * blog-bitching whispers that Bruce Forsyth is approaching his last tango on Strictly Come Dancing'' - 23rd October 2008
 * Fry in America | The American Future | The American Future | Greatest Cities of the World'' - 16th October 2008
 * Big Cat Live'' - 9th October 2008
 * Panorama'' - 2nd October 2008
 * Lunch entertainingly continues Greg Dyke's mission to stop the BBC being so business-illiterate'' - 25th September 2008
 * first lady of the French Republic really was crooning on a stool on Later ... Live'' - 18th September 2008
 * televised sport that is not played at the highest possible level has always seemed unsatisfactory'' - 11th September 2008
 * Attenborough's memoir touches on his role in two crucial moments in TV history'' - 4th September 2008
 * Wogan's Perfect Recall is the first quizshow in which knowledge is optional'' - 28th August 2008
 * Viewers of the thrilling action pictures from the Beijing Olympics may not realise that they are part of the debt that television audiences owe to Sir David Attenborough'' - 21st August 2008
 * of the basic skills required in television presentation is directing the eyes'' - 14th August 2008
 * Meet the Press'' - 7th August 2008
 * Sky News'' - 31st July 2008
 * With the Enemy | Step Up to the Plate'' - 24th July 2008
 * Burn Up'' - 17th July 2008
 * A culture announces its values by the bits of the past that it honours'' - 10th July 2008
 * Bonekickers'' - 3rd July 2008
 * The sudden and upsetting death of Tim Russert of NBC feels absolutely presidential - 19th June 2008
 * ...on Tennis - 12th June 2008
 * ...on Mad Men | Love Soup | Peep Show - 5th June 2008
 * A survey shows that 22% of viewers suffer recognised symptoms of mourning when a favourite series ends - 29th May 2008
 * The FA Cup Final - 22nd May 2008
 * The Duke - If there were a Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme for television documentary, The Duke (ITV1) wouldn't even have a shot at a bronze - 15th May 2008
 * ...on Election Night 2008 (BBC1) - 8th May 2008
 * ...on Question Time - 1st May 2008
 * ...on Bafta Television Awards | Britz | The Mark of Cain - 24th April 2008
 * ...on Britain's Got Talent - 17th April 2008
 * There are many programmes that can be watched with the sound turned off - 27th March 2008
 * ...on Christian programming - 20th March 2008
 * As individual programmes become more important than networks the titles of shows have increased in importance - 13th March 2008
 * The release of interrogation-room telly by the police surely advances the case in favour of courtroom TV - 6th March 2008
 * ...on BBC1's Ten O'Clock News - 28th February 2008
 * Lily Allen and Friends - 21st February 2008
 * What's the point of cabvision? - 27th December 2007
 * How Christmass is too Christmassy?: ...concepts of public service television and multiculturalism - 20th December 2007
 * Snobbery is no longer possible: ...the relationship between television and the stage - 13th December 2007
 * Are right-of-reply shows a public tactic or a public service? - 6th December 2007
 * Football and the theory of 'relativity': The off-pitch drama... - 29th November 2007



Links:

 * The First Post: articles
 * Wikipedia bio