Fiona Bruce

Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for Panorama in 1989, and has since become the first female newsreader on the BBC News at Ten, as well as presenting many flagship programmes for the corporation, including BBC News at Six, Crimewatch, Real Story, Antiques Roadshow, and Fake or Fortune?. Since 10 January 2019 she has been the presenter of the BBC One television programme Question Time.

For the politician, see Fiona Bruce (politician).

Fiona Bruce
Bruce filming an episode of Antiques Roadshow in 2013
Born
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce

(1964-04-25) 25 April 1964[1]
Singapore, Malaysia
NationalityBritish
EducationInternational School of Milan
Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College
Alma materHertford College, Oxford
University of London Institute in Paris
Occupation
  • Television producer
  • news presenter
  • TV host
Years active1989–present
Notable credit(s)
Spouse(s)
Nigel Sharrocks
(
m. 1994)
Children2

Early life and education

Bruce was born in Singapore,[2] to an English mother and a Scottish father, who had worked his way up from being a postboy to become regional managing director of Unilever.[3][4] She has two elder brothers. She was educated at Gayton Primary School in Wirral, the International School of Milan, and then from the age of 14 until 18 attended Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College in New Cross, London. During the latter period she modelled for the stories in the teenage girls' magazine Jackie.[5]

Bruce read French and Italian at Hertford College, Oxford. During this period, she was briefly a punk, singing in rock bands and, at one point, colouring her hair blue for one week.[5] She attended the University of London Institute in Paris.[6]

Career

After leaving university, Bruce joined a management consulting firm for a year, but found the experience depressingly dull:[7]

I dreaded the meetings, the tedium, the fact that I was in the wrong job. I was so unhappy. I used to cry in the loos at lunchtime.

After this, she worked at a number of advertising agencies including Boase Massimi Pollitt (where she met her future husband, a company director).[8] She then went on to meet Tim Gardam – at that time the editor of the BBC's Panorama – at a wedding, and in 1989 he gave her a job as a researcher on the programme.[7]

News and current affairs

After becoming assistant producer on Panorama, she made the change to reporting in 1992 on Breakfast News. She then moved to BBC South East, appearing as an occasional presenter and reporter on Newsroom South East and a weekly current affairs programme, First Sight. From 1994 to 1995, she was a reporter on the BBC2 current affairs programme Public Eye. She then reported for Panorama and Newsnight.

In 1999, as part of a major relaunch of the BBC's news output, Bruce was named secondary presenter of the BBC Six O'Clock News. She presented the programme as cover for main presenter Huw Edwards, as well as regularly on Fridays, until a presenter reshuffle in January 2003 to coincide with the retirement of Michael Buerk and the move of Peter Sissons to the BBC News channel.

Both Edwards and Bruce moved to the BBC Ten O'Clock News and continue to present the programme. Bruce was the first female presenter of the bulletin.[9] In 2007, Bruce returned to presenting the BBC News at Six. After an eleven year tenure, she stepped down in January 2019.

From 2003 to 2007, Bruce presented and reported in the BBC One current affairs series, Real Story.[10]

After the murder of Jill Dando, Bruce took over the position of co-presenter on Crimewatch alongside Nick Ross, until both were replaced by Kirsty Young towards the end of 2007. In 2001, Bruce became the first female presenter to be part of the BBC general election results programme.

In 2006, following a court case whereby British Airways requested that a Christian employee conceal her cross, because it infringed the airline's dress code, the BBC disclosed it had some concerns over the fact that Bruce often wore a cross necklace, although she was not banned from doing so.[11]

On 10 January 2019 Bruce, as the first female host, succeeded long-time host David Dimbleby on the BBC's debate programme Question Time.[12][13] Her tenure as host was almost immediately embroiled in controversy[14][15], and in May 2020, Bruce stated "QT is without doubt the hardest job I’ve ever done."[12]

Other programmes

In September 1998 Bruce became the presenter for BBC Two's Antiques Show, which was in its fourth series. She presented it for a further two series, showing her interest in presenting antiques programmes nearly a decade before presenting Antiques Roadshow.[16] On 22 June 2007 it was announced that Bruce was to replace the retiring Michael Aspel as presenter of Antiques Roadshow the following spring;[17] this initially caused some controversy.[18] However, average viewership increased during Bruce's first year as presenter.[19]

In 2007, Bruce wrote and presented a BBC documentary about Cherie Blair as Tony Blair left office.[20]

Bruce also occasionally presented special editions of The Money Programme. In one, she profiled the entrepreneur Alan Sugar.[21] She said of the experience: "It was a bit like being in front of a hair dryer at very close quarters. He's not backwards in coming forward in his opinions." During the documentary, Bruce – who has always publicly identified herself as a feminist – challenged Sugar's view that women should openly disclose their childcare commitments to a potential employer. Her point was that if men were not required to declare their ability to meet the demands of their job, it was not right that women should do so.

Victoria: A Royal Love Story (2010) is a BBC documentary, written and presented by Bruce, charting the story of the love affair between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and documenting the collection of paintings, sculptures, and jewellery they gave each other.

Since 2011 she has co-hosted the BBC television series Fake or Fortune? alongside Philip Mould, which examines the process of establishing the authenticity of works of art, including the use modern techniques.[22]

In 2011 Bruce wrote and presented The Queen's Palaces, a three-part BBC documentary telling the story of Queen Elizabeth II's three official residences, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Holyrood Palace.[23] In 2012, Bruce wrote and presented a BBC documentary about Leonardo da Vinci.[24]

In 2015 and 2016 she presented the BBC Four quiz programme Hive Minds.[25]

In 2017 it was reported that Bruce was paid between £350,000 and £400,000 as a BBC presenter.[26] In early 2019 she admitted not keeping track of her salary, which for 2018 reportedly was £170,000, a number that does not include her earnings from Antiques Roadshow.[27]

Parody and humour

Bruce was featured in an episode of Top Gear (series 10, episode 3), sharing a lift with one of its presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, and then having to push him out (as he was stuck in a Peel P50, which has no reverse gear). As she walked away, Clarkson commented, without her knowledge until the programme was aired, "She has got quite a nice bottom... I said that out loud, didn't I?" Bruce returned to Top Gear in the next series (series 11, episode 4), alongside fellow newsreader Kate Silverton, for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car feature. As a comeback to the "nice bottom" comment, she slapped Jeremy's and declared that it "needs a bit of work". Since then, she has also occasionally stood in for a holidaying Clarkson in his Sunday Times car review column, which she referred to as the ultimate revenge: "perching my bottom – nice or otherwise – on his patch."[28]

In the BBC Two version of the satirical impressions show Dead Ringers, Bruce is parodied by Jan Ravens, who ruthlessly exaggerates her mannerisms through sexual innuendo. For example, "Hello, my name is Fiona Bruce sitting on the luckiest chair in Britain",[29] and "Hello, I'm Fiona Bruce; don't touch what you can't afford."

She appeared in a tongue-in-cheek BBC HD advert in 2008, featuring the Antiques Roadshow show where she drove a car through a wall, before running towards a falling vase; the car explodes as she jumps to save the vase from crashing.[30]

A less serious side of Bruce has been shown in the BBC's Children in Need telethon for several years, in the regular section where newsreaders break out from behind their desks to take part in a song and dance number. Having a better singing voice than most of her colleagues, her turn in the 2007 performance, as Velma Kelly – with a rendition of "All That Jazz" – so impressed the makers of the revival production of Chicago that they invited her to the London performance of the 10th anniversary gala, where she appeared on stage in a parade of Velmas.[31]

Referring to Jeremy Clarkson's adoration of her – he once described her as "agonisingly gorgeous"[32] – she remarked, "In my twenties I was virulently opposed to anyone commenting on my appearance, lest it come at the expense of my ability. But it's not an issue for me now. If Jeremy Clarkson pays me a compliment, then fine, how nice, 'Thanks Jeremy'."[3]

Political causes

Bruce has often been outspoken regarding her commitment to feminism, expressing concern at a 2006 poll that suggested almost three-quarters of women no longer saw feminism as necessary; "The contradictions are still there [in society] which is why I think feminism is still very relevant for me and it's just such a shame that it's become a byword for mustachioed, man-hating women from Lebanon."[29] Despite her firm views on the subject – including a "disappointment" in women who dislike working with other women[29] – she claims to have softened her feminist views from her university days, where she once ran an anti-pornography campaign.[33]

Fathers 4 Justice controversy

Bruce was criticised for showing "blatant bias" when interviewing Matt O'Connor, founder of Fathers 4 Justice, for a BBC programme in 2004.[34] Bruce, who had featured in advertising campaigns for the charity Women's Aid, was accused of having an axe to grind on the issue of domestic violence. Many, including O'Connor, felt she let her own personal view on domestic violence as an issue of gender take over the programme.[35] There were also concerns that O'Connor had originally been invited to speak about CAFCASS and the Family Courts, yet the programme was changed to focus on domestic violence.[36]

Later, a BBC committee, investigating on behalf of the BBC Governors, concluded that there were "some weaknesses" in the programme when considered against the BBC's journalistic values of "Truth and Accuracy, Serving the Public Interest, Impartiality and Diversity of Opinion, Independence and Accountability" but that the programme "still made a valuable contribution to the debate on parental rights". Overall the committee "did not think that these matters were sufficient to constitute a serious breach of editorial standards" and found that "the programme had provided appropriate and balanced information around the allegation that violent men had infiltrated F4J".[37]

Charity work

Bruce is an honorary vice president of optical charity Vision Aid Overseas (VAO), alongside fellow newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald. In February 2005, Bruce did the voice-over for VAO's Lifeline Appeal. In 2007 Bruce launched VAO's Annual Review. Later that year she was one of nine prominent women to take part in the What's it going to take? campaign for the charity Women's Aid.

In 2009, the NSPCC inducted her into its Hall of Fame in honour of her continued work on their behalf. In accepting the honour, she said, "The work of the NSPCC and ChildLine is desperately important and I do little compared to what needs to be done. But I'm very honoured to be included in the Hall of Fame."[38]

Personal life

Bruce met Nigel Sharrocks when he was director of the advertising agency where she worked.[29] He is non-executive chairman of Digital Cinema Media.[39] They married in July 1994 in Islington. The couple have two children, son Sam (born January 1998) and daughter Mia Rose[7] (born November 2001),[40] Bruce encountered much adverse publicity for her decision to return to work with Crimewatch 16 days after the birth of baby Mia.[41][42] In 2014, Bruce stated that she does not use social media due to the misogynistic abuse directed towards female celebrities.[43]

She was awarded the female Rear of the Year title in 2010, and accepted it in person.[44] She later declared that her acceptance of it had been "hypocritical" and that the award was "demeaning".[45]

gollark: My phone is waterproofed to some extent, so I could use it underwater if there was a workaround for the touchscreen not working.
gollark: I know between 5 and 86 trillion things.
gollark: Zip bombs don't really require as much user intervention.
gollark: If you can run arbitrary code on *any* OS you can probably freeze it horribly.
gollark: If the gnomes are invisible how are they considered infected?

See also
  • Antiques Roadshow Detectives

References
  1. "Fiona Bruce - Biography". Hello!. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  2. Bruce, Fiona (13 September 2009). "Fiona Bruce's Singapore". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. Pettie, Andrew (30 January 2009). "Interview: Fiona Bruce". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  4. Feinstein, Sharon (24 October 1999). "The day I discovered my long-lost family". Sunday Mirror. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  5. Press Association (7 December 2018). "Fiona Bruce shows off serious and silly sides during long BBC career". Evening Express. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  6. "Fiona Bruce". Inspirational Speakers. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  7. Wallis, Lucy (18 December 2003). "Fiona Bruce's wild days". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  8. Hagan, Angela (5 August 2000). "Sex, lies and hospital dramas; Crimewatch's Fiona Bruce confesses to a little white lie that had painful repercussions". Daily Mirror. London. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  9. Hoggard, Liz (6 August 2016). "What I've learnt: Fiona Bruce". The Times Magazine. London. p. 8. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  10. Busfield, Steve (9 October 2006). "BBC to axe Real Story". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  11. "Cross row stokes Christian anger". BBC News Online. 15 October 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  12. Armstrong, Lisa (30 May 2020). "Fiona Bruce: 'You don't ever want to become the story'". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  13. "Fiona Bruce announced as new Question Time presenter". BBC Media Center. 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  14. Gregory, Robinson (3 March 2020). "Fiona Bruce surprised at Question Time's 'level of toxicity'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  15. Bray, Abbie (24 January 2020). "Question Time flooded with 250 complaints after Laurence Fox's controversial race row about Meghan Markle". Metro. London: DMG Media. ISSN 1469-6215. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  16. Deacon, Michael (5 September 2008). "Fiona Bruce: Antiques Roadshow". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  17. "Bruce to host Antiques Roadshow". BBC News Online. 22 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  18. Pettie, Andrew (31 August 2018). "Fiona Bruce says 'too sexy' for Antiques Roadshow jibes are a compliment". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  19. Holmwood, Leigh (20 October 2008). "TV ratings - October 19: Antiques Roadshow pulls in priceless 8 million viewers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  20. Wollaston, Sam (3 July 2007). "Last night's TV: The Real Cherie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  21. Fletcher, Alex (14 October 2008). "Bruce hosts Sir Alan Sugar documentary". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  22. "Fake or Fortune?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  23. "BBC One – The Queen's Palaces". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  24. "BBC One – Da Vinci: The Lost Treasure". BBC. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  25. "BBC – Hive Minds". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  26. Weaver, Matthew (19 July 2017). "BBC accused of discrimination as salaries reveal gender pay gap - as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  27. Press Association (5 January 2019). "Fiona Bruce: I don't know how much I earn". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  28. Bruce, Fiona (1 March 2009). "Ha, Eat My Bottom, Jeremy". The Sunday Times. London. p. 16. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 316494699. I don't think he really cared but now I think I've managed to do something that will really get to him: perch my bottom -- nice or otherwise -- on his patch (subscription required)
  29. Cadwalladr, Carole (6 August 2006). "I'm no career bitch". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  30. Sweeney, Mark (6 May 2008). "Bruce turns action hero in BBC HD ad". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  31. Wolf, Matt (10 December 2007). "A Decade of Chicago Giving London The Ol' Razzle Dazzle". Broadway.com in London. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  32. Clarkson, Jeremy (7 January 2007). "Worshipping the god of hell fire". The Sunday Times. London. p. 16. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 316594301. Fiona Bruce, the agonisingly gorgeous newsreader, wants to replace her Volvo with something less enormous (subscription required)
  33. Tyrrel, Rebecca (30 July 2011). "Fiona Bruce put her Rear of the Year award to good use". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  34. Lewis, Mike (25 November 2004). "Was Real Story 'the real story'?". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  35. "BBC's Fiona Bruce". fathers.ca. Archived from the original on 7 February 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  36. Hinsliff, Gaby (21 November 2004). "Angry fathers attack 'biased' Bruce". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  37. Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee (July 2005). "Programme Complaints: Appeals to the Governors. Real Story, BBC One, 22 November 2004" (PDF). BBC Trust. pp. 13–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  38. "Press Release. Stars honoured at NSPCC Hall of Fame Ceremony". NSPCC. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2020. The work of the NSPCC and ChildLine is desperately important and I do little compared to what needs to be done. But I'm very honoured to be included in the Hall of Fame
  39. "Nigel Sharrocks". The Drum. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  40. Jardine, Cassandra (28 June 2007). "Life is very good". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 21. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020. Although she's no green goddess herself, Fiona Bruce is delighted that the BBC recycles its 'ageing' presenters
  41. Leonard, Tom (27 November 2001). "I am not a mad career monster". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 9. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  42. Burstall, Emma (11 January 2009). "New mothers have a job already – they just don't go to the office". The Independent. London. p. 42. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  43. Plunkett, John (1 July 2014). "Fiona Bruce hits out at 'misogynistic' Twitter commenters". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  44. Creedon, Liam (9 June 2010). "Fiona Bruce collects Rear Of The Year trophy". Press Association. London. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  45. Hutchison, Peter (13 June 2011). "Fiona Bruce says Rear of the Year award was 'hypocritical and demeaning'". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 11. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
Media offices
Preceded by
Jill Dando		 Main presenter of Crimewatch
2000–2007		 Succeeded by
Kirsty Young
Preceded by
Michael Aspel		 Main presenter of Antiques Roadshow
2008 – present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Michael Buerk		 Deputy presenter of BBC News at Ten
2003–present
Preceded by
Jill Dando (first run)
Sian Williams (second run)		 Deputy presenter of BBC News at Six
1999–2003
2008–present
Preceded by
Peter Sissons		 Presenter of BBC Weekend News
2000–2005		 Succeeded by
Mishal Husain & Emily Maitlis
Preceded by
David Dimbleby		 Regular Host of Question Time
2019–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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