When I say "presenters", I am thinking specifically about television presenters - from news programmes to documentaries and quizzes. Perhaps it is just me but what I find is that some regular presenters are very likeable and others make me bristle with annoyance.
Of course the presenters I am about to comment upon all appear on British TV channels but visitors who dwell in other lands may be able to relate to this issue as they reflect upon the presenters that are familiar to them.
One of Britain's best known presenters is David Attenborough who generally narrates nature programmes. He will be 98 years old next Monday so I suppose that his presenting days are almost over. What he brings to his work is an enduring passion for wildlife, curiosity, authenticity and humility too. Like most British TV viewers I greatly respect him and I completely trust his accounts and the views he occasionally espouses. He is one of the best.
On the other hand there's slimy Michael Portillo, a former Tory Member of Parliament, who has carved himself a very comfortable niche as a presenter of programmes about railways all over the world. This is a subject that greatly appeals to me but because Portillo presents them I have never watched one of them from beginning to end. Snake-like, vain and insincere, Portillo's ego is like a puffed up balloon.
One of my favourite current affairs programmes is "Newsnight". Recruited in the last few months, there is a presenter called Victoria Derbyshire who I like very much. She seems so genuine as she explains situations and quizzes politicians and others. She listens but she also challenges, sometimes quite insistently. Any ego she has is suppressed as she just gets on with the job of nailing the truth on behalf on the watching public.
This very evening I was watching a documentary series that takes viewers to some far flung corners of The Pacific Ocean.. It is called "Islands of the Pacfic" and its presenter is an actor called Martin Clunes. He seems so supercilious and his curiosity about most things is rather luke warm. I find him pretty irritating which is a shame because the film footage is excellent Tonight he was in Guam and Palau in Micronesia. I wonder who picked him for this role when there are so many potential presenters who could have done a far better job.
Perhaps it is impossible to pick presenters that will please everybody but in my view a presenter can make or break a programme. In general, I think presenters should be honest, bright and rather unpretentious people you feel comfortable with whose presenting styles do not detract from the subject matter but enhance it. And if there are conversations to be had they should show keen listening skills - not ignoring or talking over others.
What do you look for in a presenter and are there any that you especially like or dislike and why?
Even I, an American across the pond, revere David Attenborough and trust him fully in his reporting. Whenever I see a series or special of his, I always record it to watch at my leisure.
ReplyDeleteOne day children of the future will watch documentaries by David Attenborough ans ask, "Were there really tigers? And rhinos? And whales?"
DeleteI might once had agreed with your assessment of David Attenborough, however he has been shown up frequently of late to have bent or manipulated situations and circumstances to fit his ideas rather than literally shown us as it is.
ReplyDeleteMartin Clunes, isn't that Doc Martin? I didn't watch the show but the name is familiar. I am another Sir David Attenborough fan.
ReplyDeleteI like a presenter that I can ignore. I like to be able to concentrate on the meaning and I don't want a presenter to take anything away from the topic.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a couple of "Islands of the Pacific" episodes and liked them in spite of Martin Clunes, who I agree is lukewarm with the presentation. I cannot listen to David Attenborough, he goes into so much detail and so slowly, I just lose interest or fall asleep. I am not a documentary person, preferring movies and TV series that hold my interest enough that I don't fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteKeith Lemon is a wonderful presenter. Absolutely daft as a brush. A comic genius.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I am not the only person in Germany who is familiar with David Attenborough‘s work. He is one of those people that have always been there, and it is strange to imagine that one day (rather sooner than later) they will be gone, like the Queen.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany, in my childhood there were presenters on TV shows people watched as family entertainment, and nearly everybody seemed to love them. Hans Rosenthal was one of them. There were others who were hugely popular but whose egos were inflated, such as Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, or Thomas Gottschalk, the latter still popping up every now and then, nowadays mainly on radio.
My favourite presenter at our main TV news is Susanne Daubner. She has a great voice and calm bit powerful presence and does not play along with the skinny model look other female presenters feel the need to show.
I cannot bear to watch anything with Martin Clunes in it. He is condescending and sometimes quite scathing about people and places.
ReplyDeleteI am a great fan of Sir David and marvel that he's still going strong. I very much enjoy Simon Reeve's programmes and over the years have followed Michael Palin's journeys around the globe.
ReplyDeleteHowever YP, I suspect that if Michael Portillo had been a former Labour MP your assessment of him would have been different? Why mention him of all the other presenters that are out there? Sadly I think it's just an excuse to yet again "knock" those who are not of your own political persuasion.Not that I'm a fan of his, but judging by the number of programmes he presents he must be popular.
Like you, I tend to dislike those who have to make it more about them than the subject. I like the enthusiasm of Janina Ramirez. Some of her publicity pictures look irritating, but her programmes are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, at 98, David Attenborough still does an amazing job at presenting. My biggest gripe with presenters now is that there are now so many so called presenters that were on a reality programme and now think that they can present ! I'm sure it's in their reality show contract that they will be found work after the reality show and they all seem to drift into presenting. There is an art to presenting and not everyone can do it. Even political figures like Ed Balls, Michael Portillo, Nigel Farage to name but three, who aren't the best. Also, I always thought that a good speaking voice would be a plus but it now seems you have to ' get down with the kids ' and drop your h's etc ! Sorry ... a bit of a rant ! XXXX
ReplyDeleteAnd then there was Jeremy Paxman. Oh did I love the man. In reply to Jay Cee above, he had "scathing", his sneer thinly disguised by a charming smile, a twinkle in his eyes, down to a fine art. As does/did Jeremy Clarkson, Andrew Neil ... you name them, not least Radio 4's now gone Rottweiler [John Humphries]. Cutting to the chase. Sharp as tacks. No bullshitting them.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky in as much as I don't dislike anyone as such. It's worse, and it doesn't go down well in some quarters: People amuse me. Take blogland. If certain people knew how much they make me laugh - not necessarily with derision but genuine wonderment - I'd be hanging from the next tree. Which is better than hiding my torch under a bushel.
Anyway, main question to extract from your post: Why do some people rile us, rub us up the wrong way? There is no rhyme or reason to it. You can't measure it scientifically, under a microscope, in a Petri dish. Dislike is irrational. Mysterious. Clouding our better judgment. Blinding us. Never mind: It is what it is. As long as people keep that in the forefront of their mind. Questioning themselves instead of feeding their insatiable EGO you, YP, mention.
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Here in America, David Attenborough is very highly regarded.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite presenters is Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He makes astrophysics fun and engaging and I've learned so much from him! You can check him out on YouTube. His Startalk podcast is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI like David Attenborough, too, and always enjoy the programs he does.
ReplyDeleteQuite often it is the topic of a program that draws me and I don't always know who the presenter even is!?!
I think "presenter" is an interesting word. I don't recall it as a word we use much in the USA. We might say "host," or "emcee," or "anchor" -- I never heard "presenter" until I came to the UK.
ReplyDeleteKirsty Young
ReplyDeleteHer final speech on the funeral of the late queen said everything