Harry Gration

[harshy]

I was also put in mind of when Richard Whiteley died - both of them Yorkshire broadcasting legends.



I do think there’s something unique and very special about long-serving regional TV news presenters. They almost feel like members of the family - much more so than any national broadcasters. It feels like a genuinely sad day in Yorkshire.



Although I wonder if, in the current internet and multi-channel era, today’s regional presenters will ever reach the iconic status of the likes of Harry Gration, Mike Neville, Tony Wilson, Bob Warman, Fred Dinenage, etc..

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The ‘When Harry met Claire’ adverts when Harry returned to Look North alongside Claire Frisby in the late 90s didn’t work quite in the same way.

When Harry met Clare

https://twitter.com/clarefrisby/status/1...Wrwtn_yNkw

Another emotional Look North again tonight with Amanda Harper struggling to keep it together at the end

I’m hoping they arrange for Amy to have a co-presenter tomorrow to help her through it

It is going to be difficult, just watching Amanda struggle with her emotions has made me cry again, it is going to be a difficult watch tomorrow. but definitely one thing is for sure will be a fitting tribute to a great Bradfordian.

[KOWT76]

Isn’t it strange that on 27 June 2005, Calendar paid tribute to Richard and tomorrow, 27 June 2022, Look North will pay tribute to Harry? It’s going to be a tough watch tomorrow

[Humphrey Hacker]

A solemn sofa tour feels like the most fitting tribute.

Seriously though, the old big names of local news are getting smaller and smaller in number, which is such a shame and an inevitable consequence of so many regions seemingly having had a solid anchor of a similar sort of age. Those of us who were around in the early days of the blue place will probably all associate these people with growing up, with them often being a huge figure in our local communities. I’m pretty forward looking but it does make you stop for a moment and think about how things used to be and how things change.

I grew up in the 1980’s. Harry was a constant on our screen and he along with Richard were my inspirations for wanting to be a journalist. People like that are part of our history maybe in an offbeat way but there nonetheless.

[Spencer]

Christa has been paying tribute to Harry...

https://yorkmix.com/he-was-so-lovable-ch...y-gration/

I'm not sure if she's mis-remembered, or just didn't explain it very well, but it she makes it sound like she joined Look North at the same time as Harry returned from his stint on South Today, whereas in fact he rejoined LN alongside Clare Frisby. Or there's possibly the implication that they'd planned the Christa/Harry partnership all along, and Clare Frisby was just a stop-gap.

[radiolistener]

Is anybody able to capture how Hull announced it for posterity before it disappears from iPlayer?

https://youtu.be/NnYv1ATf9Fw

To M P Newswatch, it would have been nice to have been credited before you nicked it to put up on your own You Tube.  This video was unlisted for a reason.....

[Tom]

Christa Ackroyd was interviewed briefly on Look North this lunchtime: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0...s-27062022

[London Lite]

On the Breakfast bulletins, they had short clips of Simon McCoy at home and Sophie Raworth who was in Studio 54D paying tribute.

[Tom]

Look North beginning with the BBC One balloon and a montage of old clips from Harry's time on Look North.

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Really nice tributes tonight on Look North, but also a sad edition as well.

[London Lite]

Amy very nearly lost her voice again at the end of the bulletin, but again it was a nice tribute.

[Humphrey Hacker]

Warm tributes on Calendar as well. Have to say Lara didn’t seem too upset considering she worked with Harry for a while.

[Andrew]

I think BBC Yorkshire stayed opted out longer than normal, as we didn’t see any trailers nor the ident introducing Wimbledon. As Amy pointed out they could have cleared the whole schedule and still not fit everything in

[Steve in Pudsey]

People deal with grief in their own way. I don't think you can really criticise somebody who maybe putting on a brave face.

[Joe]

Warm tributes on Calendar as well. Have to say Lara didn’t seem too upset considering she worked with Harry for a while.

Pfft, no more of this kind of nonsense please. It's not for you to tell people how to feel, or appear to feel.

When the news was announced, people assumed Amy hadn't known until that moment because she was so visibly upset when she'd previously been holding it together. How many of us have had the same thing, whereby only when we tell others how we feel do we become conscious of our pain? I'm not criticising anybody for (presumably) misinterpreting this – but the point is that you never know what is going on in someone's head, and feelings are as messy as the rest of life.

[Dylan2001]

A lovely tribute programme. still doesn’t seem real. As Harry always said at the end of the programme. “ that’s as far as we go this evening”

[Steve in Pudsey]

I think BBC Yorkshire stayed opted out longer than normal, as we didn’t see any trailers nor the ident introducing Wimbledon. As Amy pointed out they could have cleared the whole schedule and still not fit everything in

You know, in hindsight they maybe should have spent maybe half of today's programme on tributes (among other news) then found something disposable in the schedule to opt out of for an hour.

Some really nice tributes on both Look North and Calendar, and nice that they had dug out some different clips to the ones we've already seen on the various anniversary shows over the years. I'm surprised they didn't double head it with both Clare and Keeley being in the studio, or even Amy and Paul.