April 28, 2015

Jeremy Paxman: ‘I don’t see Newsnight… My idea of fun is to go to bed at 10.30pm and read a book’

By William Turvill and Press Association

Jeremy Paxman has said he doesn't watch Newsnight, preferring to go to bed and read a book.

Paxman, who left the BBC Two flagship programme after 25 years last summer, also declined to be "rude" about Andrew Marr after he was labelled a "genuinely tortured, angry individual".

Shortly after leaving Newsnight, to be replaced by Evan Davis, Paxman said that Newsnight is "made by 13-year-olds".

And he told Radio Times in an interview this week: "I don't have any second thoughts about my decision (to leave)."

He added: "I don't see Newsnight, I'm afraid. My idea of fun is to go to bed at 10.30pm and read a book."

Meanwhile, Paxman refused to hit back after Press Gazette revealed that Marr had described his interviewing technique as "disdainful" and "contemptuous".

Marr called the rival broadcaster "a genuinely tortured, angry individual" after Paxman interviewed David Cameron and Ed Miliband in March.

"Yeah, I did read [the quotes]," Paxman said. "You are not the first person to try to get me to be rude about him (Marr), and I'm not going to, I'm afraid."

He joked that it was for "others to judge" if he really was a tortured and angry individual.