'You have to go away to get recognition at home'

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Mar 28, 1999 | by ohn icholson

BBC journalist John Nicholson gives us the lowdown on his professional world What is work?

Presenting BBC TV's Breakfast News on BBC1 every morning.

What was your first job? I was a senatorial aide and speechwriter on Capitol Hill for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. What do/did your mum and dad do? My dad died while I was still at school. He was a civil servant. My mum is a semi-professional badminton player. What is your greatest difficulty at work? Getting up. What do you excel at in work? Modesty forbids me from submitting an extensive list. How do you stay motivated? Fine journalism inspires me. I love watching Jeremy Paxman at work, and reading Neil Ascherson and David Aaronovitch in print. Any books that inspire you? I read a lot. By my bed I've got a new collection of Edwin Morgan and The Story of Appearances by the young English writer Paul Watkins. Is goalsetting important? No. Are you a workaholic? No. How do you keep work and life apart? With great difficulty. They seem to blend seamlessly into a working-eating-sleeping-working whole. Are you a good employee? Exemplary. Can you send e-mails and surf the net ? (Be honest!) Yes. What are your favourite working clothes ... and what is your favourite working place? I wear suits to present the news and I don't have much choice about that. As for my favourite working place - I'm somewhat studio-based. When I was a reporter for BBC Scotland I used to enjoy working in the places I love best - the Hebrides (especially Harris), Spain, New York and San Francisco. What's in your bag or briefcase ? A filofax, wallet, mobile phone, house keys (I hope), novel, pile of newspapers, The New Statesman, and the World of Interiors. And a lot of scrunched-up stuff I'll have to sort out one day. What single change would you make to improve your working life? More sleep. Have you ever been sacked? I'm freelance, so I either gel or fail with individual editors. I've been lucky enough to get on with most of them. Do you think talent gets to the top in Scotland - if not why not? Possibly, but I do think, unfortunately, that you probably have to go away to get the recognition at home. That's certainly the case in broadcasting.