Jeremy Paxman may have turned 63 last month but he remains Newsnight’s weapon of choice when it comes to ratings battles.
Paxo was wheeled out to present Newsnight last night — which he never does on a Thursday — just as BBC1 tried to gain record-breaking viewing figures for Question Time by inviting Boris Johnson and Russell Brand, who is promoting a comedy tour, onto the panel.
Traditionally, Thursday is the night of the week when Newsnight’s viewing figures fall to their lowest because of Question Time’s dominance but Paxman’s presence is thought to have been an attempt by bosses to notch up an extra 100,000 or so viewers. In the event, Question Time did not quite live up to its billing.
The Guardian had opened a live online commentary thread, so excited was the newspaper about the show. But as Michael White — reviewing Question Time on the paper’s website this morning — pointed out, the arguments fizzled rather than sizzled.
