Kirsty Wark to Receive Prestigious BAFTA Fellowship
The renowned Scottish journalist and former Newsnight host, Kirsty Wark, is set to be awarded a BAFTA Fellowship for her outstanding contribution to television. The prestigious honour will be presented at the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises, which will take place at London’s Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on May 11. The event will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
According to a report by the Mirror, Kirsty, 70, was born on February 3, 1955, in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, and has had a distinguished career in broadcast journalism. She is married to television producer Alan Clements, whom she wed in 1990. The couple has two children, Caitlin, 35, a TV executive, and James, 33, who works as an actor. They reside in Glasgow.
The Mirror reports that Kirsty has previously been recognised for her work, receiving the Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting accolade at the 2013 British Academy Scotland Awards. Her family life has been quite eventful, with Kirsty revealing that during the COVID-19 pandemic, their home became a work hub for all family members.
As quoted in the Mirror, Kirsty discussed how her family adjusted to working from home, saying: "The house is full – there are five of us here, all working away, my husband is running his media companies, with his staff all working from their homes. My daughter is usually in London, she’s a development researcher for Eon Entertainment, and my son runs a theatre company in New York, so he’s here doing some teaching, writing, doing courses and planning productions."
Kirsty hosted Newsnight for 31 years, from 1993 to 2024, before stepping down from her role after the general election coverage ended. She first joined the BBC in 1976 as a graduate researcher for Radio Scotland. Following her departure from Newsnight, Kirsty criticised BBC executives over cost-cutting measures on the show, which led to changes.
In an interview with Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Kirsty expressed her concerns about the cuts, stating: "It was really a tough time for everybody. In this world, it’s all about the brand and Newsnight is a massive brand for BBC Two. Especially in an election year, every single night we will interrogate what is going to be a critical election."
Kirsty also shared her thoughts on the future of Newsnight, saying: "I loved Newsnight the way it was, but your point about linear [TV] is not lost. Everybody has to change and so I think there is a future for Newsnight and I think it will be in a different format."
The BAFTA Fellowship is a testament to Kirsty’s remarkable contribution to television, and the Mirror reports that she will be accepting the honour at the upcoming BAFTA Television Awards.
Source: Mirror.co.uk
