Farewell with Regret: Kirsty Wark, Newsnight’s Smiling Striped Assassin

In the same week that Britain’s first female chancellor arrived at HM Treasury to a round of applause, Kirsty Wark left the BBC’s Newsnight after more than 30 years as one of its presenters. Her departure was marked by tributes from Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and Jan Ravens, whose famous impersonation of Wark humorously exaggerates her Scottish accent.

While the new chancellor is busy with her duties, Wark maintained an expression of delightful scepticism during the politicians’ tributes. One can’t help but wonder if Rachel Reeves’ career would have been as feasible or straightforward had Wark not spent the past three decades asking challenging questions to difficult politicians. Wark has been an exemplary role model: a smiling figure in stripes and exquisite earrings whose Instagram reveals a multifaceted life—she reads, she cooks, she even darns socks.

Although I don’t know Wark personally, I once shared a car ride with her en route to Sir Walter Scott’s house in the Scottish Borders, Abbotsford. In my own lengthy career, I’ve found that her male counterpart would likely have ignored me or forced me into an interview. However, Wark, as attested by her colleague Martha Kearney, is exceedingly generous and enthusiastic—an underrated quality in journalism. We quickly delved into a conversation about fashion. She admitted, almost in a whisper, her serious internet shopping habit, which was already evident from her visible love for labels and intricate designs. Ravens humorously suggested that Wark would need a U-Haul van to transport all her Prada sweaters back to Glasgow, where she resides.

Newsnight might be long past its prime. The old clips of Wark, with shoulder pads and utmost readiness, serve as a reminder of what has been lost since budget cuts affected the program. Nevertheless, she’ll be missed dearly.

A vanishingly small number of presenters, at the BBC or elsewhere, possess Wark’s combination of tenacity, flintiness, and a warm spontaneity that keeps audiences engaged despite other shortcomings. Pushing back against half-truths and obfuscation is important, but bringing joy to a studio is another skill altogether. Wark’s determination to enjoy herself has been as central to her work as her curiosity and stubbornness.

Over the years, this quality has allowed her occasional missteps, like the BBC series Womanhood where she and other celebrities discussed their hormones in a mock house-share. Yet it is this avidity that ensures she will likely land brilliant opportunities in the future. Her sheer passion remains unparalleled.

Source: The Guardian