Cherie Pie
‘THE experience of being attacked by Sir Geoffrey Howe in the House Of Commons was once memorably described as like being savaged by a dead sheep.
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| ‘So which kind of cheese is best – for you – with crackers?’ |
The experience of submitting yourself to a grilling from Richard and Judy is like being flailed with a feather boa.
It is little wonder that the TV couple are the interviewers of choice for the likes of OJ Simpson, Bill Clinton and yesterday Cherie Blair.
Even Hello! magazine can be relied upon to ask more probing questions than the former king and queen of daytime TV.
So, although Mrs Blairs appearance yesterday elicited very little in the way of news, it does provoke a response among hacks simultaneously dismissive of Richard and Judys journalistic skills and jealous of their ability to attract the best interviewees.
The Times comes over all sniffy about the soft sofas and gentle questioning of the programme, saying Cherie must be wishing that her courtroom tussles were as straightforward.
And in the Guardian Simon Hoggart mocks the hosts long-winded questioning.
Appearing on Richard and Judy, she actually got a word in edgewise, sometimes too, he says.
On at least one occasion, she managed to utter a whole sentence. It takes a highly skilled lawyer to manage this.
There have, it is said, been entire R&J question sessions in which the interviewee has not said anything at all.
Even Cherie seemed to have forgotten that she was being interviewed by purported members of the journalistic profession.
She told them at one time, for instance, that the only way to deal with the media is to ignore it because if you paid attention to it, you would go mad.
Given her devotion to Carole Caplin, healing crystals and cleansing showers, one might suggest as an aside that it is too late for Cherie to take such precautions.
But by going on television to whinge about the media (the Ian Botham Syndrome, as it is properly known), she shows clearly what she thinks of her hosts.
All of which will have the delightful effect of infuriating Richard, who very definitely considers himself a journalist and likes to believe that he is at the cutting edge of his craft.
Who can forget the memorable interview with OJ Simpson? They may not have extracted a confession from the wife killer, but they did find out what brand of cleaning products he used to clear up the resulting mess…’
Posted: 17th, September 2004 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
