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The Velvet Voice of Today
by Mark Coles
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Presenter Sue MacGregor left Today this morning after 18 years anchoring the programme. In that time, she's seen and broadcast changes to the world none us would probably have imagined back in 1984 when she presented her very first programme - the fall of the Berlin Wall, war in the Gulf, the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the death of Princess Diana and the dreadful events in America on September 11th last year.
During her time on Today, Sue has interviewed some of the world's key players - Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, the Duchess of York, the Duke of Edinburgh, prime ministers, party leaders, politicians, leading figures in the arts and individuals caught up in the middle of stories as they've unfolded over those 18 years. This morning, on her last day here on Today, many of those she's interviewed and worked with over the years have been paying tribute to what Times columnist Simon Jenkins calls "the velvet voice of Today".
To many, Sue's style of interviewing is distinct from that of her fellow male presenters. She admits she often prefers the conversational to the cut and thrust of a full scale gladitorial on air row. For former Labour leader Neil Kinnock it works. "She's probably the most graceful of all broadcasters" he says "very early in the morning to hear gracefulness coming out of the radio is a blessing....she's like a silken pin, sharp but decorous. She's not gentle, no-one should call Sue that. She can be very rough and very insistent - that's her duty, thetas her job. But for those being interviewed even uncomfortably interviewed, the knowledge that someone has done their homework, the knowledge that they're not playing a game - not being adversarial just for the sake of it - is a source of comfort even when you walk out of the studio with wounds".
Several of Sue's interviews with politicians have hit the headlines in the past - she had much-publicised heated exchanges with former Labour leader John Smith, as well as Conservatives Dr Brian Mawhinney, Norman Tebbit and former agriculture minister John Gummer who in an angry exchange about food contamination accused Sue of focussing on "silly stories". "She always got sufficiently under your skin" Mr Gummer says now "to make sure you said exactly what you wanted to say but not so much that you ever got cross. It was a very clever technique and I shall very much miss it".
Its not just politicians who've appreciated Sue MacGregor's time on Today. Novelist Beryl Bainbridge says Sue leaving Today " will be a severe wrench....I'll miss waking up to hear her melodious,intelligent and authoritative voice telling one about the state of the world". For Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, Sue's voice conveys "compassion. She has a wonderful way of combining seriousness with a deep appreciation of the comedy of human life."
One of Sue's friends, the Times columnist Simon Jenkins,summed up his feelings about Sue MacGregor's time on Today. "The Today, programme in its purest form is like a bar of fruit and nut. You've got the fruity one from Scotland, the nutty one from Wales and you've got Sue who's the milk chocolate holding it all together. Hers is a great voice - a voice that defined its own journalism, it had its own character, produced its great moments and will be greatly missed."
The Director General of 大象传媒, Greg Dyke, agrees. "Sue has been one of the outstanding radio broadcasters of our generation. She's a star and will be greatly missed by everybody".
We couldn't agree more.
LINKS
Biography of Sue
Watch or listen to or read a webcast conducted on 25 February 2002.
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Listen - Sue's on Today, including tributes from guests |
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Sue leaving the Today offices for the last time |
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Listen - relive Sue's on the programme |
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Sue in the seventies |
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...and in the eighties |
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