TV
Bob retired earlier in the year from being the regular sports presenter, although he continued to file out-of-vision reports for a while, but I've not heard any of late.
Mind you it was a bit different to see Lucy and Jason begin the programme as if it were double-headed, and together with the second half together, it wasn't far off that overall.
And Lucy was rather pleased to see Derek -- James Wright's campness doesn't really compare in fairness.
cymru148 posted:
On another note - where the hell is Bob Humphrys these days?
Bob retired earlier in the year from being the regular sports presenter, although he continued to file out-of-vision reports for a while, but I've not heard any of late.
Mind you it was a bit different to see Lucy and Jason begin the programme as if it were double-headed, and together with the second half together, it wasn't far off that overall.
And Lucy was rather pleased to see Derek -- James Wright's campness doesn't really compare in fairness.
OH
ohwhatanight
Founding member
Im struggling to understand what that Wales Today was supposed to be.
Was is dual-headed or not? Was Jason just the sports' presenter or was his role much bigger than that?
Having watched both Wales Tonight and Wales Today tonight it seemed ITV focused on the Calzaghe fight at the start whereas the BBC dwelled on a fire from 3 months ago with some shots of rubble and a lone radiator!
Was is dual-headed or not? Was Jason just the sports' presenter or was his role much bigger than that?
Having watched both Wales Tonight and Wales Today tonight it seemed ITV focused on the Calzaghe fight at the start whereas the BBC dwelled on a fire from 3 months ago with some shots of rubble and a lone radiator!
MR
Nice slick new promo for Wales Today, featuring all the presenters including Lucy Owen. A totally new Wales Today studio was show on the promo too! so wonder if this is a shape of things to come.
OH
Was that really a new studio or just a mocked-up version? It all looked like a photoshop job of the current set?!
ohwhatanight
Founding member
mrwilliams posted:
Nice slick new promo for Wales Today, featuring all the presenters including Lucy Owen. A totally new Wales Today studio was show on the promo too! so wonder if this is a shape of things to come.
Was that really a new studio or just a mocked-up version? It all looked like a photoshop job of the current set?!
JE
Jez
Founding member
Surprised this hasnt been mentioned before now but Lucy's replacement starts on Wales Tonight on Monday.
Andrea’s on-screen sparkle wins her Lucy Owen's old job
Dec 19 2007 by Karen Price, Western Mail
THE new face of ITV Wales’ flagship news bulletin is unveiled today as Andrea Benfield.
The reporter and presenter is moving to Cardiff from ITV Thames Valley to co-host the evening news show, Wales Tonight, with Jonathan Hill.
She fought off competition from around 80 applicants, including “familiar names” to become the replacement for Lucy Owen, who has controversially replaced Sara Edwards on BBC Wales’ rival news programme Wales Today.
Edwards, who at 47 is 11 years older than pregnant Owen, declared she had “effectively been sacked”.
Benfield is set to make her ITV Wales debut in early January, although no date has yet been set.
Since Owen left the broadcaster, Hill has been joined on the early evening news bulletin by co-presenters like Justina Simpson.
But Benfield, who says she would like to be the next Fern Britton, impressed bosses at the station when she met Hill.
“We had a screen test and hit it off immediately,” said Hill. “Around 80 people from across the UK applied for the job, including familiar names from the network. We were looking for someone with that on-screen sparkle – someone who would bring something else to the party.
“When you are on set with someone five nights a week you can pretend to get along but it really does help if you actually do get along. We are now looking forward to working together.”
Although Hill enjoyed a long-standing professional relationship with Owen – who is now also presenting BBC Wales’ consumer show X-Ray with her husband Rhodri – he says he is looking to the future.
“Lucy was great but Lucy is yesterday. Andrea is today and tomorrow.”
Benfield, 29, studied for a degree in English literature at Southampton University before completing a postgraduate in journalism at Portsmouth. She has also studied for a political diploma through the Open University.
She says it was her ambition to present a regional news programme for ITV and she’s delighted to have won the post in Wales.
“Wales is not just another region as it’s also a nation as well. I will get to report on news from the Welsh Assembly as well as the community side.”
And she’s determined that viewers don’t just see her as a replacement for Owen.
“I want to put my all into it and make it my own,” she said.
“For me, to work with Jonathan who has such a wealth of experience is a real privilege. Hopefully I can gain something from his experience.”
Benfield started her career in local radio in Guildford, which is where she is originally from. She later made the move to Meridian, which covers ITV Thames Valley, where her roles included reporting and presenting.
Among the projects she worked on were a documentary about RAF servicemen as they prepared for deployment to Afghanistan last December.
“Once I got into journalism I realised that presenting was my passion and that’s what I want to do,” she said. She says she enjoys a mix of both “hard” news and magazine-style presenting and among those she admires are This Morning presenter Fern Britton and ITV network anchor Mary Nightingale.
Why they couldnt promote one of the existing ITV Wales presenters I dont know. Why do we have to have another presenter from another ITV region? Oh well looks like Justina will be back to presenting the GMTV Wales bulletins again.
Quote:
Andrea’s on-screen sparkle wins her Lucy Owen's old job
Dec 19 2007 by Karen Price, Western Mail
THE new face of ITV Wales’ flagship news bulletin is unveiled today as Andrea Benfield.
The reporter and presenter is moving to Cardiff from ITV Thames Valley to co-host the evening news show, Wales Tonight, with Jonathan Hill.
She fought off competition from around 80 applicants, including “familiar names” to become the replacement for Lucy Owen, who has controversially replaced Sara Edwards on BBC Wales’ rival news programme Wales Today.
Edwards, who at 47 is 11 years older than pregnant Owen, declared she had “effectively been sacked”.
Benfield is set to make her ITV Wales debut in early January, although no date has yet been set.
Since Owen left the broadcaster, Hill has been joined on the early evening news bulletin by co-presenters like Justina Simpson.
But Benfield, who says she would like to be the next Fern Britton, impressed bosses at the station when she met Hill.
“We had a screen test and hit it off immediately,” said Hill. “Around 80 people from across the UK applied for the job, including familiar names from the network. We were looking for someone with that on-screen sparkle – someone who would bring something else to the party.
“When you are on set with someone five nights a week you can pretend to get along but it really does help if you actually do get along. We are now looking forward to working together.”
Although Hill enjoyed a long-standing professional relationship with Owen – who is now also presenting BBC Wales’ consumer show X-Ray with her husband Rhodri – he says he is looking to the future.
“Lucy was great but Lucy is yesterday. Andrea is today and tomorrow.”
Benfield, 29, studied for a degree in English literature at Southampton University before completing a postgraduate in journalism at Portsmouth. She has also studied for a political diploma through the Open University.
She says it was her ambition to present a regional news programme for ITV and she’s delighted to have won the post in Wales.
“Wales is not just another region as it’s also a nation as well. I will get to report on news from the Welsh Assembly as well as the community side.”
And she’s determined that viewers don’t just see her as a replacement for Owen.
“I want to put my all into it and make it my own,” she said.
“For me, to work with Jonathan who has such a wealth of experience is a real privilege. Hopefully I can gain something from his experience.”
Benfield started her career in local radio in Guildford, which is where she is originally from. She later made the move to Meridian, which covers ITV Thames Valley, where her roles included reporting and presenting.
Among the projects she worked on were a documentary about RAF servicemen as they prepared for deployment to Afghanistan last December.
“Once I got into journalism I realised that presenting was my passion and that’s what I want to do,” she said. She says she enjoys a mix of both “hard” news and magazine-style presenting and among those she admires are This Morning presenter Fern Britton and ITV network anchor Mary Nightingale.
Why they couldnt promote one of the existing ITV Wales presenters I dont know. Why do we have to have another presenter from another ITV region? Oh well looks like Justina will be back to presenting the GMTV Wales bulletins again.
TV
Well how rude.
This Andrea woman would have no place on the Wales thread.
Anyway hello there young Jez, I hope this new year sees you well.
As well as Lucy has settled into WT, I do miss Sara's mumsy way with interviewing. Lucy can't be far off leaving already.
Mind you, the handful of times I have managed to be in before HTV puts its news out, I've found her replacements to be more than adequate -- this newcomer is most unnecessary.
Jez posted:
“Lucy was great but Lucy is yesterday."
Well how rude.
This Andrea woman would have no place on the Wales thread.
Anyway hello there young Jez, I hope this new year sees you well.
As well as Lucy has settled into WT, I do miss Sara's mumsy way with interviewing. Lucy can't be far off leaving already.
Mind you, the handful of times I have managed to be in before HTV puts its news out, I've found her replacements to be more than adequate -- this newcomer is most unnecessary.
JE
Well how rude.
This Andrea woman would have no place on the Wales thread.
Anyway hello there young Jez, I hope this new year sees you well.
As well as Lucy has settled into WT, I do miss Sara's mumsy way with interviewing. Lucy can't be far off leaving already.
Mind you, the handful of times I have managed to be in before HTV puts its news out, I've found her replacements to be more than adequate -- this newcomer is most unnecessary.
Hello there TVDragon - where have you been lately.?
Unfortunately apart from a couple of late bulletins ive not seen Lucy on the BBC (and I was only half watching then
)
I have never seen this Andrea before so I cant possibly comment, but the viewers are used to Justina now and she has presented most Wales Tonight's since Lucy left nearly 3 months ago so deserved the job IMO. Juliet Piper is also more than a capable replacement.
Jez
Founding member
TVDragon posted:
Jez posted:
“Lucy was great but Lucy is yesterday."
Well how rude.
This Andrea woman would have no place on the Wales thread.
Anyway hello there young Jez, I hope this new year sees you well.
As well as Lucy has settled into WT, I do miss Sara's mumsy way with interviewing. Lucy can't be far off leaving already.
Mind you, the handful of times I have managed to be in before HTV puts its news out, I've found her replacements to be more than adequate -- this newcomer is most unnecessary.
Hello there TVDragon - where have you been lately.?
Unfortunately apart from a couple of late bulletins ive not seen Lucy on the BBC (and I was only half watching then
)
I have never seen this Andrea before so I cant possibly comment, but the viewers are used to Justina now and she has presented most Wales Tonight's since Lucy left nearly 3 months ago so deserved the job IMO. Juliet Piper is also more than a capable replacement.
ST
Andrea Benfield is wooden! I was so glad when she left TVT. Her bulletins were just awful just didnt seem to ad lib anything. Sorry Wales!
JE
I missed Wales Tonight last night but caught the late bulletin and am watching it tonight and I have to say I agree with you. Im not keen on Andrea so far.
Nice to see Ruth Wignall reporting on the top story tonight - although I suppose thats because its weather related!
Jez
Founding member
South Today posted:
Andrea Benfield is wooden! I was so glad when she left TVT. Her bulletins were just awful just didnt seem to ad lib anything. Sorry Wales!
I missed Wales Tonight last night but caught the late bulletin and am watching it tonight and I have to say I agree with you. Im not keen on Andrea so far.
Nice to see Ruth Wignall reporting on the top story tonight - although I suppose thats because its weather related!