TV Live Forum

Stuart White has left BBC Look East this evening after 37 years at the BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-58752747

37 years?. he will be missed. he presented the first edition of look east from the forum

Unexpected! He will be missed. Shame that there wasn’t much in the way of marking it for him after 37 years worth of service, but perhaps he bowed out the way he wanted.

https://youtu.be/Lseo9F2kri0

Is Susie Fowler Watt now main presenter then?

Ballyboy post_id=44056 time= user_id=982 Wrote:Is Susie Fowler Watt now main presenter then?

Well they have shared the role since the programme went single headed. Amelia Reynolds has been taking some extended leave and said she was returning in the autumn. I presume Amelia will be the lead presenter on Politics East and will be the default cover for Susie.

It's a shame he didn't want a big fuss. In the clip on the website he sounded very emotional at the end. He's been the face of the East for decades. I do think sometimes a big goodbye should have been given, so he knows how much the viewers and the team at Look East appreciates him and his work. Not even an appearance from Susie who has been his co-host since late 90s, all very odd.

If this local press article is true, he didn’t tell his colleagues he was leaving. Alex’s (the weather forecaster) face at the end seemed that of surprise/shock. Quite a sad way to exit really after so many years as the face of my local news.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/stewart-whi...st-8378506

skynewsfreak post_id=44093 time= user_id=1093 Wrote:If this local press article is true, he didn’t tell his colleagues he was leaving. Alex’s (the weather forecaster) face at the end seemed that of surprise/shock. Quite a sad way to exit really after so many years as the face of my local news.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/stewart-whi...st-8378506

Quickly glancing at that article it appears to be mostly a copy & paste of what he said on air, combined with bits from the BBC News article.

I think it's fair to say it's the end of an era. He's certainly been presenting for as long as I can remember. Even since Cambridge got a completely separate 6.30pm bulletin I still saw him on Poltics East in recent years.

Sad to see Stewart leave after so long, although it does seem a bit of a strange way to go. A few people on Twitter have mentioned that he comes across as slightly bitter, so who knows what's gone on behind the scenes. Hope he has a happy retirement anyway.

To be honest I hadn't realised he was still presenting Look East, as I get the West edition so hadn't seen him on air for years. Our presenters seem to either have annoying grating voices or look as if they've stepped out of the 70s!

It’s what’s known as “doing a Jackie Bird”.

Sad to see him go - been on Look East for as long as I can remember and his words at the end of the programme very touching.

He certainly worked well past retirement for many people - does anybody feel he was made redundant or just retired? and was Kim Riley made redundant also?

I suppose both of them being long timers, they'd probably be on decent contracts with decent benefits and so be quite expensive - presumably they'd be able to get younger, more gullible talent on crap contracts to save money, if that is the motivation?

lobster post_id=44179 time= user_id=890 Wrote:I suppose both of them being long timers, they'd probably be on decent contracts with decent benefits and so be quite expensive - presumably they'd be able to get younger, more gullible talent on crap contracts to save money, if that is the motivation?

I think it's reasonable to assume that someone who'd been with the BBC Look East for the majority of the 37 years is most likely to have been on a far better contract than even someone who'd been with BBC regional news for 15 years. It's fairly well known that there's been cost cutting in BBC News and local news/radio, which is why the local news changed from having two presenters to just one.

Also in the 80s during his time as a Central TV continuity announcer, he was the first (and last?) human to appear on camera on Spitting Image ?

Happy retirement Stuart. It's a long time now since the days at BRMB.

Good News, Susie marked the retirement of Stewart White during Fridays 6.30 main programme.