She did the short bulletin on "Breakfast with Frost" on Sunday.

I thought she'd been extadited back to Arg for drogna embezzlement.

>So has anyone actually seen anything of Moira Stewart of late?
>
Funnily enough, I was wondering the same thing ! I haven't seen her for ages. Rather sadly, I did ring the duty office at Television Centre to see if she was still about, and they said yes, sometimes on a Sunday. I see David Cobley in an earlier reply said she was on Frost's programme doing a short bulletin on Sunday. Wonder if she has a Web site ???

Moira and her mad hair exist on David Frost's Sunday show thing.

>So has anyone actually seen anything of Moira Stewart of late?
>
I want Moira back at prime time-her voice was a delight to hear reading out the important news of the day.

>I want Moira back at prime time-her voice was a delight to hear reading out the important news of the day.

Apparently she will present the New-Look Breakfast News. When it will start, I do not know.

>
>>I want Moira back at prime time-her voice was a delight to hear reading out the important news of the day.
>
>Apparently she will present the New-Look Breakfast News. When it will start, I do not know.

There is some wrangling going on about that. I did read ages ago that she was moving to Breakfast News and then she just disappeared.

Its probably common knowledge now that there is a possibility that the breakfast output of News 24 and BBC One being merged, as long as the regional opt outs remain on BBC One.

There is no guarantee that this will happen. Its just an idea.

>Its probably common knowledge now that there is a possibility that the breakfast output of News 24 and BBC One being merged, as long as the regional opt outs remain on BBC One.

I had not heard this - though I had thought of it myself. It does seem a bit of a waste to have two rolling news programmes for three hours. Also the graphics on Breakfast News are rubbish as are most of the presenters.

The local news opt-outs could be filled by UK Today on News 24 and BBC ONE Digital until opt-outs are available everywhere. Or News 24 could just fill them with trailers.

I too had not heard this idea. The last proposals I remember (at the time of the big revamp) was that it should be rolling news from 6 to 8:15, and then more of a magazine afterwards.

>Also the graphics on Breakfast News are rubbish as are most of the presenters.

Breakfast News has gone a long time without a revamp, and is different to the rest of BBC News, but they are not that bad and have a certain style. And I think the presenters are anything but rubbish. Sophie Rayworth is widely seen as a rising star within the BBC (and was thought of for the Crimewatch job we are led to believe). She is very good at her job, as is John Nicholson. They have the right mix of seriousness and humour for that time of the day.

Personally I think that Breakfast News is a good programme. It has achieved a good balance between competing interests, and has good features such as the newspaper review, the business updates and some of the 8:40 slots. It is certainly better than "Weekend 24" which is broadcast on both BBC News 24 and BBC 2 on Saturdays.

If you are oing to get rid of Breakfast news, why not just simmulcast the bulletins at 1, 6 and 9 on News 24 and BBC 1?

>I too had not heard this idea. The last proposals I remember (at the time of the big revamp) was that it should be rolling news from 6 to 8:15, and then more of a magazine afterwards.

Surely they do do this - well the magazine bit is 8.35-9am.

Remember when they had Breakfast News Extra that went on till 9.20? That is the way it should be done.

>And I think the presenters are anything but rubbish. Sophie Rayworth is widely seen as a rising star within the BBC

OK I don't mind Sophie Raworth

She is very good at her job, as is John Nicholson. They have the right mix of seriousness and humour for that time of the day.

I just can't stand John Nicholson. I'm not exactly sure why. He seems a bit stuck up. A bit cold.
>
>It is certainly better than "Weekend 24" which is broadcast on both BBC News 24 and BBC 2 on Saturdays.

I actually like Weekend 24. But maybe it is because of the titles! I haven't seen it in a while though.
>
>If you are oing to get rid of Breakfast news, why not just simmulcast the bulletins at 1, 6 and 9 on News 24 and BBC 1?

Because both Breakfast News and News 24 are rolling news. 1,6,9 aren't. For example, a large part of the day is spent planning 9. Running order etc. Nowhere near the same amount of thought goes into News 24. That doesn't mean it is bad, but if you want a consise, well structured News programme that will tell you what has happened that day, the 1,6 and 9 are better.

Maybe in the distant future 1,6,9 may disappear when we all go digital. I hope this doesn't happen. Rolling news and News programmes on other channels are not the same.

I can't believe that no one else has heard about the idea of merging News 24 and Breakfast News... Oh well... It is only a proposal - nowt definate.

No-one tells us anything...

I think the "rolling news to 8:15" proposal was making it more newsy for the first 2 1/4 hours than at the moment i.e. getting rid of the business focus for the first hour and making it more headlines every 15 minutes than the current mix which features and series occasionally which make it interesting. Then the magazine would be more magaziney than the current 8:40 slot which is focused on one area each day (health, technology etc)

Did anyone see it on Monday when it was presented from three locations - 1 presenter in the studio (Sophie), 1 in Moscow (for the elections) and 1 in Hollywood (for the Oscars)? Strangely enough it worked.

I knew about the merger plans! Not impressed with the idea though. News 24 is very good, but I prefer Breakfast news on BBC 1. And as a huge Moira Stewart fan I want to see her on it!

Moira 24..?

The merger plan has been kicked around for a while, but I rememeber it being tounted in the *old* TV Forum, and that was a hell of a long time ago...

You can't possibly LIKE Sophie !?!?!
She is awful !

When she worked at Leeds (Look North) the staff used to take bets on which story she would stumble over/ cock up first ! (this is absolutely true), and it was always within the first half of the programme !!

And what about Richard Whitmore?

>You can't possibly LIKE Sophie !?!?!
>She is awful !

Yes I do. Having never seen Look North I can't comment, but on Breakfast News she is very good and professional, probably the best presenter on it. John Nicholson managed to read out the same story twice in a row the other day (but has some good jokes every now and again), and Noel Thompson should stay in Ulster.

And, as much as I like Moira Stewart, I don't know if she would be right for Breakfast News - give her a flagship bulletin instead.

>Noel Thompson should stay in Ulster.

I can't let that go unchallenged!

Noel Thompson is a very good newsreader, probably why he is on BBC NI nearly every evening at 6.30pm (even Fridays when he's been on breakfast news that morning) and he does other shows as well.

I think he is more warm and friendly than John Nicolson, I could say the latter should stay in Scotland, but I won't.

Bring back Jan Leeming, that's what I say. With her big hair and wincyette blouses... She coped so well with the exploding newsroom light, and bits of hot glass falling down and burning her back. It makes me come over all quaint at the thought!
Love,
Ken

I saw Moira Stewart at one of the rare celebrity events that I attend.
She was standing quite near and I said (in what I imagined was a quiet voice) "There's Moira Stewart. I've had her." (This sadly was just a joke.
At which point Moira turned round and put her arms round me and siad "Aaah, it's my hunk" or words to that effect, clearly having heard my comment and taken it in the jokey spirit that it was intended. What a top flight woman she is.

>I saw Moira Stewart at one of the rare celebrity events that I attend.
>She was standing quite near and I said (in what I imagined was a quiet voice) "There's Moira Stewart. I've had her." (This sadly was just a joke.
>At which point Moira turned round and put her arms round me and siad "Aaah, it's my hunk" or words to that effect, clearly having heard my comment and taken it in the jokey spirit that it was intended. What a top flight woman she is.

And what a contrast from her newsreader face :)

I like Noel Thompson as well! John Nicholson has the most awful dress sense. Sophie's a bit stern for my tastes, but I think Tanya Beckett is very good when she gets the chance to present the whole programme.

Ms Stewart was lost with the revamp of BBC News a while ago and was promised an equally prominant position. Which is why I am told satellite viewers can catch her working the late-shift on BBC WORLD. She is apparently not very chuffed with this and is back soon.

>Bring back Jan Leeming, that's what I say. With her big hair and wincyette blouses... She coped so well with the exploding newsroom light, and bits of hot glass falling down and burning her back. It makes me come over all quaint at the thought!
>Love,
> Ken

But hasn't she been out campaigning for the Tories since? Screaming Leeming is hardly acceptable now.

Jan's finest hour was presenting the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest from Harrogate. A vintage performance, especially at the end when she got totally confused about exactly who had won.

Angela Rippon presented 1977 from London, but despite her then recent fun with Morecambe & Wise, she treated the whole event as if it were a very serious news programme.

That's it! Get Moira to present ESC 2001 from the millennium dome!!!

According to today's Observer, the decision to merge Breakfast News and News 24's breakfast will be announced this week. It says:

"The new breakfast programme, which will go out on air in the autumn, will be renamed and is likely to be presented by the current BBC Middle East correspondent Jeremy Bowen. Moira Stuart will read top-of-the-hour bulletins"

DAMN! I was just about to say that mesel!

And look out for a complete cock up when they try regional opt-outs for the news.....

>And look out for a complete cock up when they try regional opt-outs for the news.....

I don't think so, they'll either get UK Today as currently happens with Breakfast News, or they'll have trailers. If that happens, though, we'll lose the 'and now the news, travel and weather wherever you are...'