ITN's Trevor McDonald - BAFTA Fellowship

Sir Trevor's up for another "bong gong", of sorts. Recognised as "simply the best". Hmmmmm.

But is he better than all the rest? Better than anyone? Anyone you ever met?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13414944

I canny be gassed wi' him.

I like Trevor, but I always thought John Suchet was the best newscaster at ITN. That said, it's nice to see his contribution to News at Ten being recognised; he is face most associated with ITN and News at Ten.

Thinking back to the good ol' days of ITN, nobody nowadays comes close to the authority and gravitas of Trevor, Burnet, Gall, Suchet et al. Probably the most authoritative newscaster now is Alastair Stewart, but he can be a bit over the top at times.

Not sure I agree about John Suchet (never quite took to his style of delivery for some reason), but definitely agree about those classic newscasters from the late 1970s and early 80s. ITV bulletins seemed to have real sense of gravitas in those days compared with today, when it sometimes seems to be a bit more about style over substance.

Absolutely. there's hardly any substance to ITV News these days. I love watching old clips of ITN news bulletins from the 80s; they're so authoritative and substantive. Everything from the clear and simple presentation to the newscasters and reporters. There were no flashy graphics; no sensationalist, emotive language; it was just straightforward and serious. Personally, I think ITN was probably at its height in the 80s - News at Ten was excellent with Alastair Burnet and Sandy Gall at the helm, and the other bulletins were superb too, with Leonard Parkin on News at One and Alastair Stewart on News at 5:45. I recently saw a YouTube video of the 5:45 titles/music from the mid-80s (the ones that were used from 1976 until 1988) and someone had criticised it for being inferior to the BBC Six O'Clock News from the same period. Yes, it was technologically inferior, I'll admit that, but it was to the point and meant business. None of this style over substance like we have now, as you say.

By the way, for anyone who has access to the wonderful NewsFilm Online website, I'd recommend checking out the 20-minute "A Day in the Life of ITN" video. It was made in 1987 and narrated by Alastair Stewart, providing an insight into the general daily operation of ITN at that time. It's absolutely fascinating to see all the old technology that was, according to Stewart, 'state of the art' Unfortunately, the conditions of access forbid their content from being re-distributed on the internet so I can't post it here. But, well worth checking out if you have access yourself.

Yes, I think it was the absence of graphics and stings and other flash-bang elements that made it seem that way - solemn and earnest.

I suppose the addition of those things demands a different delivery from the newscaster, in keeping with the rest of the package.

That said, when I was younger, even though I was interested in television news, I often found it dull and plodding. Is it my increased interest in current affairs that makes me watch so much of it now, or the visual and audio stimulus they've added to make it more engaging?

I don't know the answer to that. I wonder if they do?