Laura Kuenssberg to take over Marr Slot

[Brekkie]

I do think she's better suited to events than a straight newsreading role. Would be interesting to see her trialled on Newsnight now she isn't getting the Subday job.

[TVFan]

She’s better of sticking to newsreading. She doesn’t have the gravitas to ask hard hitting questions to politicians, etc.

[XIII]

Kuenssberg would be my choice as well.

Will be interesting how she handles the non political stuff. Marr was very into the arts but I don't get that impression from Laura.

They might ditch the arts section. It says a new look and format so there's nothing to say they have to do that if it's not within Laura's comfort zone. Maybe instead of the arts per se, they could do something along the lines of the fluffier stuff they do on Newscast which Laura is very good at - that would add a little light and shade.

I don't listen or watch Newscast but what is the fluff they talk about?

[Newsroom]

She’s better of sticking to newsreading. She doesn’t have the gravitas to ask hard hitting questions to politicians, etc.

Huh? I think that's exactly what she's doing and will be doing on Sunday Morning until it comes off air. She's been given heaps of praise for her interviewing technique and she certainly has gravitas.

[Brekkie]

Seems Laura steps down as Political Editor this week. Is someone taking on the role on an interim basis?

[bananaman]

[quote=Brekkie post_id=75906 time= user_id=976]
Seems Laura steps down as Political Editor this week. Is someone taking on the role on an interim basis?

[boddington]

Her "leaving" party was last night according to today's London Evening Standard diary column - it went on late into the night.

[GraemeT]

Clive Myrie on today in for Sophie

[AJB39]

[quote=Brekkie post_id=75906 time= user_id=976]
Seems Laura steps down as Political Editor this week. Is someone taking on the role on an interim basis?

[W1LL]

The Sunday Times reporting today that Chris Mason is back in the running for Political Editor.

Would definitely be a good appointment.

[Scrotnig]

The Sunday Times reporting today that Chris Mason is back in the running for Political Editor.

Would definitely be a good appointment.

I agree, he’d be a great appointment, he’s one of the BBC’s real talents.

[all new Phil]

The Sunday Times reporting today that Chris Mason is back in the running for Political Editor.

Would definitely be a good appointment.

I agree, he’d be a great appointment, he’s one of the BBC’s real talents.

Not sure his style is right to be honest. Great at what he does, but he’s quite intellectual / nerdy (that’s not a bad thing!) and I think they need someone a bit more relatable to a wider audience. Sophy Ridge still gets my vote.

Edit: Also need to consider the optics of them getting down to a final 2 female candidates (one of which of colour), before turning them both down in favour of a white male. I don’t think they’ll do this.

[Spencer]

The Sunday Times reporting today that Chris Mason is back in the running for Political Editor.

Would definitely be a good appointment.

I agree, he’d be a great appointment, he’s one of the BBC’s real talents.

Not sure his style is right to be honest. Great at what he does, but he’s quite intellectual / nerdy (that’s not a bad thing!) and I think they need someone a bit more relatable to a wider audience. Sophy Ridge still gets my vote.

Not sure about that. I think he’s got quite an individual style which makes him stand out in the same way as Andrew Marr and Nick Robinson did in the role, and Peston does at ITV. I also think someone who’s a bit less heavily styled and looks less like a conventional rugged reporter makes him a lot more relatable. And there are a lot of geeks out there. :lol:

[all new Phil]

I agree, he’d be a great appointment, he’s one of the BBC’s real talents.

Not sure his style is right to be honest. Great at what he does, but he’s quite intellectual / nerdy (that’s not a bad thing!) and I think they need someone a bit more relatable to a wider audience. Sophy Ridge still gets my vote.

Not sure about that. I think he’s got quite an individual style which makes him stand out in the same way as Andrew Marr and Nick Robinson did in the role, and Peston does at ITV. I also think someone who’s a bit less heavily styled and looks less like a conventional rugged reporter makes him a lot more relatable. And there are a lot of geeks out there. :lol:

Not entirely sure you can say someone has an individual style, before comparing him with 2 of the previous 3 holders of the post and the current ITV political editor…

[House]

Not sure his style is right to be honest. Great at what he does, but he’s quite intellectual / nerdy (that’s not a bad thing!) and I think they need someone a bit more relatable to a wider audience. Sophy Ridge still gets my vote.

Not sure about that. I think he’s got quite an individual style which makes him stand out in the same way as Andrew Marr and Nick Robinson did in the role, and Peston does at ITV. I also think someone who’s a bit less heavily styled and looks less like a conventional rugged reporter makes him a lot more relatable. And there are a lot of geeks out there. :lol:

Not entirely sure you can say someone has an individual style, before comparing him with 2 of the previous 3 holders of the post and the current ITV political editor…

No I think what Spencer’s saying makes sense. Compared to many political correspondents Chris Mason has his own style that separates him. Chris comes across as a very down-to-Earth, everyday kind of chap, while nerdy and intellectual. Chris always describes issues like an excited university lecturer would - an outsider who’s fascinated by politics, and wants you to be too.

In contrast Laura Kuenssberg often comes across a bit more like a football pundit maybe, or a market trader on CNBC. In other words, someone who sees it all as a sport that she’s a part of, even if she isn’t aligned with any particular party or winner. Nick Robinson, while seeming nerdier like Chris, similarly reported like he was on the inside rather than outside looking in. He still does in his political interviews on Today.

The comparison isn’t so much that Chris is like Nick, Andrew or Robert, but rather that they each have a distinctive style and personality that makes them stand out in their reporting. A bit like comparing Paxman to Gavin Esler, or John Humphreys to Martha Kearney.

Political Editor is expected to have a style, or a personality, to their reporting. I think Chris would be great. Interested, though, that they’ve had an open and transparent recruitment process internally and externally, and then appear to be considering someone else right at the last minute. Makes you wonder if they just didn’t like the applicants they got, or if the ones they did have withdrawn.