What the Papers Say
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What The Papers Say, is one of the longest running programmes on British television. The format, consisting of readings from the previous week's newspapers, linked by a studio presenter, has remained essentially unchanged for nearly half a century.
Made by Granada Television, the programme first appeared on ITV in 1956, presented alternately by Kingsley Martin, editor of The New Statesman, and Brian Inglis, assistant editor of The Spectator. Inglis later became the sole presenter, remaining with the programme until 1969 when it was briefly relaunched as The Papers with Stuart Hall as host. However, it soon reverted to its original title, and took on the format it still has today, with a different presenter (almost always a journalist) each week.
The 15-minute show moved from ITV to Channel Four when the latter launched in 1982, but was dropped in 1989, to be taken up by BBC2 where it is still broadcast on Saturday afternoons, with the presenters now placed in a virtual studio. The show's distinctive theme music remains "English Dance No.5" by Malcolm Arnold.