Simon Hoggart

Simon David Hoggart (born 26 May 1946) is an English journalist and broadcaster. He writes on politics for The Guardian, and on wine for the Spectator. Until 2006 he presented The News Quiz on Radio 4. [cite web
url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/simonhoggart
title=Simon Hoggart | guardian.co.uk
publisher=guardian.co.uk
accessdate=2008-07-04
last=
first=] His journalist sketches have been published in a series of books.

Personal life

Simon Hoggart was born on 26 May 1946 in Ashton-under-Lyne, [cite web
url=http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/history/people.htm
title=People Associated with Ashton under Lyne
publisher=www.ashton-under-lyne.com
accessdate=2008-07-04
last=
first=] Lancashire and educated at Hymers College in Hull, Wyggeston Boys' School in Leicester, and then King's College, Cambridge. [cite web
url=http://www.kingston.ac.uk/krf/events/2008/02-the-hands-of-history-parliamentary-sketches-1997-2007-simon-hoggart/
title=The Hands of History: Parliamentary Sketches 1997-2007 - Kingston Readers' Festival 2008 - Kingston University London
publisher=www.kingston.ac.uk
accessdate=2008-07-04
last=
first=] He is the son of the sociologist Richard Hoggart and Mary Holt Hoggart. His brother is "The Times" television critic Paul Hoggart. He lives in South London with his wife, Alyson, a clinical psychologist and their two children, Amy and Richard. Amy is studying English at King's College, Cambridge where she is involed with the Cambridge Footlights.

Career

Hoggart joined "The Guardian" in 1968, later becoming the American correspondent for "The Observer", and occasional guest commentator on National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Saturday". Hoggart then became the parliamentary sketch writer for "The Guardian" in 1993. He also writes a wine column for "The Spectator".

Before his spell in North America in the early 1980s he chaired the radio comedy show "The News Quiz", returning to the show in 1996 . He was also a contributor to the "Grumpy Old Men" and in the past has written for "Punch" magazine and an occasional column for "New Humanist" magazine (last entry May 2005). Hoggart was also an occasional celebrity panelist on BBC2's antiques quiz show "Going, Going, Gone".

After speculation appeared in the "News of the World" in December 2004 regarding a "third man" in the Kimberly Quinn affair, Hoggart issued a statement admitting that he had an affair with Quinn before her marriage. The political sex scandal involving Quinn contributed to the resignation of David Blunkett from the Cabinet. [cite web
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1479401/Third-man-confesses-in-the-Quinn-affair.html
title=Third man confesses in the Quinn affair - Telegraph
publisher=telegraph.co.uk
accessdate=2008-06-12
last=
first=] [The News of the World had claimed on 19th December 2004 that Kimberly Quin had "cheated" both David Blunkett and her husband with a "third man".]

In March 2006 Hoggart presented his last edition of "The News Quiz" commenting: "I'm getting a bit clapped out and jaded, and I think that's beginning to show." [cite press release |title=Simon Hoggart steps aside from The News Quiz |publisher=BBC |date=2006-01-30 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/30/hoggart.shtml |format= |accessdate=2007-01-03 ]

Works

His published books to date form an eclectic list, including debunking the supernatural, anecdotes about Parliament, a biography, his thoughts about the United States, a serious political review, and collected Christmas round-robin letters.

;Books
*"The Hands of History: Parliamentary Sketches 1997-2007" (2007) ISBN 1-84354-679-5
*"Don't Tell Mum: Hair-raising Messages Home from Gap-year Travellers" (2006) by Simon Hoggart and Emily Monk ISBN 1-84354-539-2
*"The Hamster That Loved Puccini: The Seven Modern Sins of Christmas Round-Robin Letters" (2005) ISBN 1-84354-474-1
*"The Cat That Could Open the Fridge: A Curmudgeon's Guide to Christmas Round-Robin Letters" (2004) ISBN 1-84354-357-5
*"Punchlines: A Crash Course in English with John Prescott" (2003) ISBN 0-7434-8397-9 – on Prescottese language
*"Playing to the Gallery: Parliamentary Sketches from Blair Year Zero" (2002) ISBN 1-903809-66-5 – parliamentary sketches
*"Live Briefs: A Political Sketch Book" by Simon Hoggart, Steve Bell (1996) ISBN 0-413-70970-1 – parliamentary sketches, with the "Guardian" political cartoonist
*"House of Correction" (1995) ISBN 0-86051-998-8 – parliamentary sketches
*"Bizarre Beliefs" by Simon Hoggart, Mike Hutchinson (1995) ISBN 1-86066-021-5 – on "the human desire to believe the unbelievable"
*"America: A User's Guide" (1991) ISBN 0-00-637602-9 – on his experiences living in the United States
*"House of Cards: A Selection of Modern Political Humour" edited by Simon Hoggart (1988) ISBN 0-241-12451-4
*"House of Ill Fame" (1985) ISBN 0-86051-350-5 – parliamentary sketches
*"Back On the House" (1982) ISBN 0-330-28148-8 – parliamentary sketches
*"On the House: The Personalities and the Politics From the Irreverent "Punch" Column" (1981) ISBN 0-330-26883-X – parliamentary sketches
*"Michael Foot: A Portrait" by Simon Hoggart, David Leigh (1981) ISBN 0-340-27600-2 – biography of politician Michael Foot
*"The Pact: The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977-8" by Simon Hoggart, Alistair Michie (1978) ISBN 0-7043-3236-1
*"Little Boxes: A Selection of Bryan McAllister Cartoons From "The Guardian" by Bryan McAllister, Simon Hoggart (1977) ISBN 0-85265-024-8

;Audiobooks
*"The News Quiz: The First 25 Years (BBC Radio Collection)" (2003) ISBN 0-563-49402-6
*"Simon Hoggart's Pick of "The News Quiz": Vol 2" (2002) ISBN 0-563-52923-7
*"Simon Hoggart's Pick of "The News Quiz": Vol 1" (2000) ISBN 0-563-47762-8

References

Notes

External links

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Archive/0,5673,-13,00.html Simon Hoggart's columns in "The Guardian"] with archives
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Archive/0,9328,-1021,00.html Simon Hoggart's parliamentary sketches in "The Guardian"] with archives
* [http://www.newhumanist.org.uk/members/profile_view_ind.php?id=42 Simon Hoggart's column in "New Humanist"] with archives
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/newsquiz.shtml BBC - "The News Quiz"]
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/News_and_Media/Journalists/Hoggart,_Simon/ Open Directory Project - "Simon Hoggart"] directory category
*imdb name|id=389727|name=Simon Hoggart