After 25 years crucifying interviewees, Jeremy Paxman is to step down as the presenter of BBC’s Newsnight.
He informed Tony Hall, the director general of the BBC, and James Harding, the director of news and current affairs, of his decision last summer, but with the appointment of a new editor and following the Jimmy Savile scandal, Paxman agreed to stay “to help the new team bed down”.
In a statement, the BBC said it is “immensely grateful for this gesture, which is entirely in keeping with his outstanding contribution to both Newsnight and, over four decades, the BBC itself.”
Jeremy Paxman will present his last Newsnight in June but will continue to present University Challenge.
“This is a particularly poignant moment for me, because I have known Jeremy and relished working with him, since the day I joined the BBC in 1973,” said Hall. “And I am therefore better placed than most to know what a remarkable job he has done at Newsnight.
“His is a rare and dazzling talent. He has a unique ability to create moments of real discomfort for politicans and memorable delight for audiences. For that cussed brilliance and much more besides, the BBC and our audiences will always be in his debt.”
James Harding said Paxman had become the “great lion of BBC journalism,” and that he would be sorely missed.
“Jeremy has led from the front: fearless, aggressive and persistent. He never failed to ask the difficult questions and always refused to accept glib or deceptive answers. Of course we will miss him but he has set standards for our journalism that the rest of us must follow.
“We accept his decision to move on but I think it is fair to say that the only people really celebrating his decision will be the politicians and public figures he has so often and so brilliantly held to account.”
Ian Katz, editor of Newsnight, added: “It’s been a huge privilege to work with Jeremy for the last eight months. I’m deeply grateful to him for delaying his departure to help renew the programme, and for the extraordinary support and generosity he has shown. We – and the viewers – will miss him greatly, but he leaves the show in good health and a formidable new team in place.”
