Peter Sissons
Encyclopedia
Peter George Sissons is a broadcast journalist in the United Kingdom
. He was the presenter of the BBC Nine O'Clock News
and the BBC News at Ten between 1993 and 2003, as earlier a newscaster for ITN, providing bulletins on ITV and Channel 4. He is also a former presenter of the BBC's Question Time
programme. He left the BBC in 2009.
, Peter Sissons attended the Dovedale Road Junior School with John Lennon
and Jimmy Tarbuck
and after the 11+ to the Liverpool Institute for Boys
from 1953 to 1961 with Bill Kenwright
, Stephen Norris, George Harrison
and Paul McCartney
. He later studied at University College, Oxford
where he was Treasurer of the University College Players
.
until the first incarnation of the series was dropped by ITV in 1987 after Leonard Parkin decided to retire from ITN; Sissons subsequently left for the BBC.
In June 1989, Sissons took over from Sir Robin Day
as the presenter of Question Time
. He continued until December 1993, when he was followed by David Dimbleby
. In the same year he received a death threat, after his interview of an Iranian representative as part of the reaction surrounding the publication
of The Satanic Verses
, stating that the fatwa
covered him as well. He co-presented BBC's 1992 General Election Night coverage with David Dimbleby
and Peter Snow
. Previously he had been a co-presenter on ITN's election night programmes in 1983 (with Sir Alastair Burnet
and Martyn Lewis
) and in 1987 (with Burnet and Alastair Stewart
).
He has worked for ITN, Channel 4 News
and BBC News
, where he hosted the BBC Nine O'Clock News
and the Ten O'Clock News. He was dropped from this position in January 2003. Sissons reportedly accused the BBC of ageism in response to its decision to move him from the prime slot.
In 2002, Sissons announced the death of The Queen Mother
on the BBC. His broadcast created a minor controversy, as he wore a burgundy
tie as opposed to a black one, deemed more appropriate by some for such news. Sissons has since publicly defended his actions. He subsequently presented weekend afternoons on BBC News, the corporation's 24-hour rolling news channel. Sissons has also presented News 24 Sunday, the replacement for Andrew Marr
's BBC One
programme The Andrew Marr Show when it is off air during the Summer. He also occasionally presented weekend bulletins on BBC One
. On 12 June 2009, Sissons announced his intention to retire in the summer in order to write his memoirs.
television show, in which he led an interview of the five surviving Pythons together, which consisted entirely of them all saying "Hello".
) in which he claimed that BBC News had a bias towards the political Left and complained that The Guardian
was the first newspaper that was turned to for a lead on stories.
Honorary Fellow and delivered a lecture on 19 June 2008 speaking about the City of Liverpool
.
His daughter is the actress Kate Sissons
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was the presenter of the BBC Nine O'Clock News
BBC Nine O'Clock News
The BBC Nine O'Clock News was the flagship BBC News programme launched on 14 September 1970, which ran until 15 October 2000, when it was controversially moved to BBC News at Ten....
and the BBC News at Ten between 1993 and 2003, as earlier a newscaster for ITN, providing bulletins on ITV and Channel 4. He is also a former presenter of the BBC's Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
programme. He left the BBC in 2009.
Background
Originally from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Peter Sissons attended the Dovedale Road Junior School with John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE or Tarby is an English comedian. Growing up he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game...
and after the 11+ to the Liverpool Institute for Boys
Liverpool Institute for Boys
The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool.The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on Mount Street. The Institute was first known as the...
from 1953 to 1961 with Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
, Stephen Norris, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. He later studied at University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
where he was Treasurer of the University College Players
University College Players
The University College Players are the theatrical society of University College, Oxford.The first production was in May 1941 when Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors was performed in cooperation with Merton College. Peter Bayley was the senior member from the start till the 1960s...
.
Career
After many years as a journalist, during which he was wounded by gunfire whilst covering the Biafran War, his first period as a newsreader came in 1976 when he began anchoring ITN's News at One bulletins alternately with Leonard ParkinLeonard Parkin
Leonard Parkin, Leonard Parkin, Leonard Parkin, (2 June 1929 - 20 September 1993 in Thurnscoe, Yorkshire, England, was a British TV journalist and newscaster who worked for both the BBC and ITN.He was educated at Hemsworth Grammar School, Yorkshire...
until the first incarnation of the series was dropped by ITV in 1987 after Leonard Parkin decided to retire from ITN; Sissons subsequently left for the BBC.
In June 1989, Sissons took over from Sir Robin Day
Robin Day
Sir Robin Day, OBE was a British political broadcaster and commentator. His obituary in the Guardian stated that "he was the most outstanding television journalist of his generation...
as the presenter of Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
. He continued until December 1993, when he was followed by David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
. In the same year he received a death threat, after his interview of an Iranian representative as part of the reaction surrounding the publication
The Satanic Verses controversy
The Satanic Verses controversy was the heated and sometimes violent Muslim reaction to the publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Many Muslims accused Rushdie of blasphemy or unbelief and in 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie...
of The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
, stating that the fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
covered him as well. He co-presented BBC's 1992 General Election Night coverage with David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
and Peter Snow
Peter Snow
Peter Snow, CBE is a British television and radio presenter. He is the grandson of First World War general Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow, and cousin of Jon Snow, the main presenter of Channel 4 News, nephew of schoolmaster and bishop George D'Oyly Snow, and the brother-in-law of historian-writer Margaret...
. Previously he had been a co-presenter on ITN's election night programmes in 1983 (with Sir Alastair Burnet
Alastair Burnet
Sir Alastair Burnet is a British journalist and broadcaster, known for his work in news and current affairs programmes.- Early life :...
and Martyn Lewis
Martyn Lewis (journalist)
Martyn Lewis CBE is a British television news presenter and journalist.-Early life:Lewis was born in Swansea, West Glamorgan, though was educated at the co-educational Dalriada School in Northern Ireland and graduated with a BA degree from Trinity College, Dublin. He then joined BBC Northern...
) and in 1987 (with Burnet and Alastair Stewart
Alastair Stewart
Alastair James Stewart OBE is an English journalist and newscaster. Stewart is currently employed by ITN where he is a main newscaster for ITV News.-Early life:...
).
He has worked for ITN, Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
and BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, where he hosted the BBC Nine O'Clock News
BBC Nine O'Clock News
The BBC Nine O'Clock News was the flagship BBC News programme launched on 14 September 1970, which ran until 15 October 2000, when it was controversially moved to BBC News at Ten....
and the Ten O'Clock News. He was dropped from this position in January 2003. Sissons reportedly accused the BBC of ageism in response to its decision to move him from the prime slot.
In 2002, Sissons announced the death of The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
on the BBC. His broadcast created a minor controversy, as he wore a burgundy
Burgundy (color)
Burgundy is a shade of purplish red associated with the Burgundy wine of the same name, which in turn is named after the Burgundy region of France. The color burgundy is similar to other shades of dark red such as maroon...
tie as opposed to a black one, deemed more appropriate by some for such news. Sissons has since publicly defended his actions. He subsequently presented weekend afternoons on BBC News, the corporation's 24-hour rolling news channel. Sissons has also presented News 24 Sunday, the replacement for Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr
Andrew William Stevenson Marr is a Scottish journalist and political commentator. He edited The Independent for two years until May 1998, and was political editor of BBC News from 2000 until 2005....
's BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
programme The Andrew Marr Show when it is off air during the Summer. He also occasionally presented weekend bulletins on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. On 12 June 2009, Sissons announced his intention to retire in the summer in order to write his memoirs.
Other appearances
Sissons portrayed a spoof version of himself in The Life of Python, a lighthearted documentary about the Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
television show, in which he led an interview of the five surviving Pythons together, which consisted entirely of them all saying "Hello".
Opinions
In 2011, Sissons published When One Door Closes, (from which an extract was reproduced for Mail OnlineMail Online
Mail Online is the name of the website of the Daily Mail, a newspaper in the United Kingdom. It contains almost all the stories from the Daily Mail and includes a large archive of main stories...
) in which he claimed that BBC News had a bias towards the political Left and complained that The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was the first newspaper that was turned to for a lead on stories.
Personal life
Sissons is also a Liverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
Honorary Fellow and delivered a lecture on 19 June 2008 speaking about the City of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
His daughter is the actress Kate Sissons
Kate Sissons
Kate Sissons is a British RADA-trained actress and the daughter of BBC newsreader Peter Sissons, who comes from Liverpool, as does her mother....
.