- Michael Crick
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Michael Crick 
Crick while reporting on a visit by Nick Clegg to a college in Norwich
Born 21 May 1958 Alma mater New College, Oxford Occupation Journalist Employer Channel 4 News Michael Crick (born 21 May 1958[1]) is a British journalist, author and broadcaster. Crick was a founding member of the Channel 4 News Team in 1982. He worked on the BBC's Newsnight between 1992 and 2011, acting as the programme's political editor from 2007 to his departure. He left to return to Channel 4 News as chief political reporter.
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Early life
Crick was born in Northampton, the eldest child of John Crick and Patricia Wright, and brother to triplets Catherine, Anne and Beatrice. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School and New College, Oxford, where he gained a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). At Oxford he was editor of the student newspaper, Cherwell, founded the Oxford Handbook and the Oxbridge Careers Handbook, and was president of the Oxford Union.
Career
A journalist specialising in politics, he was a founding member of the Channel 4 News team when it launched in 1982, working as their Washington correspondent.[1]
Crick joined the BBC in 1990, first on Panorama, becoming a regular reporter on BBC Two's Newsnight from 1992. In March 2007, he was appointed the programme's political editor.[2]
Crick is known for his investigations of politicians, including Jeffrey Archer, David Blunkett and Caroline Spelman and has written unofficial biographies of a number. He achieved particular prominence as the nemesis and unauthorised biographer of Jeffrey Archer. When he was attempting to interview Archer for Newsnight in 1999 during his campaign to be elected mayor of London, Archer levelled, on camera, the following apparent threat at Crick: "You wait till I'm Mayor. You'll find out how tough I am".[3] Margaret Crick, his former wife, published a biography of Archer's wife Mary in 2005.[4]
In 2003, under heavy pressure from the preparation of the Hutton Inquiry, the BBC refused to show Crick's report for Newsnight into 'Betsygate', the alleged misuse of public funds by the private office of former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and supposed payments to his wife Betsy for work she did not do. Crick referred the case to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Sir Philip Mawer and the Duncan Smiths were cleared of any impropriety.[5]
In the 2005 general election, it was observed that the five most terrifying words in the political lexicon were "Michael Crick is in reception".[6]
In July 2011, it was announced that Crick was returning to Channel 4 News as Chief Political correspondent, replacing Cathy Newman under political editor Gary Gibbon.[7] He made his last appearance on Newsnight on 29 July 2011.[8]
Following his departure Crick gave an interview to The Independent discussing his unhappy final year at Newsnight. He claimed that a year prior to his departure he'd been asked to give up his role as political editor to a new appointment and take another "ill-defined" role. He also talked of the BBC as a place where "people tend to think of reasons why things shouldn't be done" and criticised BBC News's archive policy. He also expressed concerns about the effects of cuts to the licence fee on Newsnight.[1]
Personal life
Crick lives with his partner Lucy Hetherington, the daughter of the former The Guardian editor Alastair Hetherington, and they have a daughter, Isabel (b. 2006/2007). He also has an older daughter, Catherine, from his previous marriage.[1]
On 24 February 2008, the News of the World newspaper reported that Crick had a six month affair with Jeanette Eccles, a former BBC researcher. The paper ridiculed Crick for presenting himself as a moral crusader when his own behaviour was unethical. He was also criticised for trying to prevent the publication of the story on the grounds of privacy while he was making a living from exposing the wrong doings of others.[9]
A keen supporter of Manchester United, he has written several books on the team as well as his political works. In 1998-99 he was the organiser of the Shareholders United Against Murdoch campaign which successfully opposed BSkyB's proposed takeover of United. He later served as Vice-Chairman of Shareholders United.
Books
- The March of Militant (Faber 1984, 1986)
- Scargill And The Miners (1985)
- Manchester United: The Betrayal of a Legend (1989)(with David Smith)
- Jeffrey Archer : Stranger Than Fiction (1995)
- Manchester United: The Complete Fact Book (1999)
- Michael Heseltine : A Biography (1997)
- The Boss: The Many Sides of Alex Ferguson (2002)
- In Search of Michael Howard (2005)
References
- ^ a b c d "Michael Crick: 'Cuts are hurting Newsnight. The BBC lacks can-do spirit'", The Independent website, 19 September 2011. Retrieved on 24 September 2011.
- ^ Press release (2003-03-22) "Michael Crick appointed Political Editor on Newsnight", BBC Press Office. Retrieved on 2007-03-23
- ^ "Panorama - Jeffrey Archer: A Life of Lies"
- ^ "Something about Mary" by Rebecca Tyrrel, Telegraph website, 30 May 2005. Retrieved on 14 June 2008.
- ^ "A professional troublemaker", The Guardian, 2 April 2007. Retrieved on 2 April 2007.
- ^ Election 2005 blog by Matthew Tempest, Guardian website, 30 March 2005. Retrieved on 2 April 2005.
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/19/channel-4-michael-crick
- ^ Adam Sherwin "Crick defects from BBC to Channel 4", The Independent website, 20 July 2011. Retrieved on 20 July 2011.
- ^ News of the World, 24 February 2008
External links
Categories:- 1958 births
- Alumni of New College, Oxford
- British political journalists
- Living people
- Presidents of the Oxford Union
- Old Mancunians
- People from Northampton
- BBC newsreaders and journalists
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