Jeremy Vine is one of the most successful broadcasters of recent years and in 2012 clocks up a quarter of a century at the BBC. In It's All News to Me, he takes a look back over his career from the very first day when he arrived at broadcasting house, (by coincidence an inauspicious news day - the fateful Black Monday of 1987.) Jeremy explains his big break as a Today programme reporter when he was fired at by a sniper during the early days of the war in Bosnia; he walks us through the corridors of Westminster in the 1990s when he was a political correspondent, trying to deal with the likes of Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson; he reflects on the steep learning curve that was his posting as African correspondent at the turn of the millennium; and his return to the UK where he was dubbed Paxman's "mini-me" on Newsnight. He also explains what it's like presenting Radio 2's lunchtime show and talking to 6 million listeners - people who, as he puts it "have better stories than we do." Written in Jeremy's unmistakably lively and self-deprecating voice, It's All News to Me paints a vivid picture of what it's like to be trapped inside the BBC - arguably the most interesting organisation in the country - for 25 years. It's also about our obsession with news - just exactly how and why it happens - and the power of real life stories versus the media's desire to shape them.
It's All News to Me
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
`Wry, self-knowing and sometimes delightfully acid, this is the ultimate insider's account of today's BBC. Jeremy Vine shows himself as good a writer as he is a broadcaster, but with more generosity of spirit than many of us. His best stories are often against himself and anyone interested in TV journalism will lap this up' --Andrew Marr
`Jeremy Vine writes the way he broadcasts: warm, witty and often revelatory. This book is packed with gossip and fun - but also real insight' --Jonathan Freedland
'Engagingly honest and hugely enjoyable warts and all account of a life in the BBC - required reading for anyone with an interest in broadcasting and journalism. A highly likeable book from a highly likeable broadcaster' --Ken Bruce
`This is a roller-coaster ride around the thrills and spills of life in a media career: Jeremy Vine has steadfastly worked his way around all the enclaves of current affairs power in the BBC: he has done it with aplomb and lashings of skill and confidence. Now he takes us with him down the corridors of power and into the newsrooms of influence. His account is often hilarious and self-deprecating, but laced with nuggets of wisdom for those thinking of taking the same path'
--Joan Bakewell
'One of the most engaging broadcasters of his day proves to be equally good company on the page. Just as his Radio 2 show moves between sharp interviews and soothing music, the book alternates stonking anecdotes (about Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Paxman and others) with penetrating analysis of news events and news-making. A rare example of a book that could be enjoyed on a beach but also taught on media studies courses' Mark Lawson
'Jeremy Vine is one of Britain's foremost broadcasters, which gives his stories and insights especial authority. He peels back the strange world of broadcasting that we inhabit with humour, compassion, honesty, originality and, above all, accuracy. Our business will never be quite the same again!' Andrew Neil
'A thought-provoking yet satisfyingly gossipy account of being a BBC lifer. I laughed out loud and winced at the same time as I recognised the moments of pride and exquisite humiliation that come with the job' Fiona Bruce
'Brilliant a witty, honest account of an in-and-out-and-in love affair with Aunty' Dermot O'Leary
'He has written a brilliant memoir detailing his adventures at the BBC... Vine's anecdotes on politics and broadcasting are marvellous: I giggled, dribbled, screeched... Vine is silly and joyful and has written a silly and joyful book, which I adored' Daily Telegraph
'Anecdotes, gossip and memorable moments with Paxman and Mandelson mark an account of 25 years at the BBC... This is an engaging, skilfully paced tome, full of heart and cracking anecdote. Going by this, Vine could afford to feel just a little bit smug' Observer
'Panorama and Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine hopes he hasn t ruffled too many feathers of his waspish, witty memoir marking his 25 years at the BBC' Hannah Stephenson, Press Association
'A terrific book'-Richard Bacon
Jeremy Vine, A life changing decision to embrace the new is sparked by an e-reader and the operatic passion of Otello. Sunday Telegraph
This year Jeremy Vine clocked up a quarter of a century at the BBC, and in this memoir he takes a look back over his career from the very start when he arrived at Broadcasting House on an inauspicious news day --Living North
'One of the most engaging broadcasters of his day proves to be equally good company on the page. Just as his Radio 2 show moves between sharp interviews and soothing music, the book alternates stonking anecdotes (about Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Paxman and others) with penetrating analysis of news events and news-making. A rare example --Richard Bacon, Radio 5 Live
'Jeremy Vine is the perfect diarist... Brilliant' --Telegraph
'A wry candour that never tips into spite' --The Observer
'Really interesting reading' --Sara Cox in Independent Traveller
`Jeremy Vine writes the way he broadcasts: warm, witty and often revelatory. This book is packed with gossip and fun - but also real insight' --Jonathan Freedland
'Engagingly honest and hugely enjoyable warts and all account of a life in the BBC - required reading for anyone with an interest in broadcasting and journalism. A highly likeable book from a highly likeable broadcaster' --Ken Bruce
`This is a roller-coaster ride around the thrills and spills of life in a media career: Jeremy Vine has steadfastly worked his way around all the enclaves of current affairs power in the BBC: he has done it with aplomb and lashings of skill and confidence. Now he takes us with him down the corridors of power and into the newsrooms of influence. His account is often hilarious and self-deprecating, but laced with nuggets of wisdom for those thinking of taking the same path'
--Joan Bakewell
'One of the most engaging broadcasters of his day proves to be equally good company on the page. Just as his Radio 2 show moves between sharp interviews and soothing music, the book alternates stonking anecdotes (about Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Paxman and others) with penetrating analysis of news events and news-making. A rare example of a book that could be enjoyed on a beach but also taught on media studies courses' Mark Lawson
'Jeremy Vine is one of Britain's foremost broadcasters, which gives his stories and insights especial authority. He peels back the strange world of broadcasting that we inhabit with humour, compassion, honesty, originality and, above all, accuracy. Our business will never be quite the same again!' Andrew Neil
'A thought-provoking yet satisfyingly gossipy account of being a BBC lifer. I laughed out loud and winced at the same time as I recognised the moments of pride and exquisite humiliation that come with the job' Fiona Bruce
'Brilliant a witty, honest account of an in-and-out-and-in love affair with Aunty' Dermot O'Leary
'He has written a brilliant memoir detailing his adventures at the BBC... Vine's anecdotes on politics and broadcasting are marvellous: I giggled, dribbled, screeched... Vine is silly and joyful and has written a silly and joyful book, which I adored' Daily Telegraph
'Anecdotes, gossip and memorable moments with Paxman and Mandelson mark an account of 25 years at the BBC... This is an engaging, skilfully paced tome, full of heart and cracking anecdote. Going by this, Vine could afford to feel just a little bit smug' Observer
'Panorama and Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine hopes he hasn t ruffled too many feathers of his waspish, witty memoir marking his 25 years at the BBC' Hannah Stephenson, Press Association
'A terrific book'-Richard Bacon
Jeremy Vine, A life changing decision to embrace the new is sparked by an e-reader and the operatic passion of Otello. Sunday Telegraph
This year Jeremy Vine clocked up a quarter of a century at the BBC, and in this memoir he takes a look back over his career from the very start when he arrived at Broadcasting House on an inauspicious news day --Living North
'One of the most engaging broadcasters of his day proves to be equally good company on the page. Just as his Radio 2 show moves between sharp interviews and soothing music, the book alternates stonking anecdotes (about Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Paxman and others) with penetrating analysis of news events and news-making. A rare example --Richard Bacon, Radio 5 Live
'Jeremy Vine is the perfect diarist... Brilliant' --Telegraph
'A wry candour that never tips into spite' --The Observer
'Really interesting reading' --Sara Cox in Independent Traveller
About the Author
Born in Epsom, Jeremy has previously been presenter of Newsnight, political correspondent at Westminster, reporter on the Today programme and Africa correspondent based in Johannesburg. He is also one of only four presenters in the history of Panorama, the world's oldest current affairs programme. In 2003 Jeremy took over the Radio 2 news and music slot Sir Jimmy Young had occupied illustriously for 29 years.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
At 28, I only know of Jeremy VIne from radio 2 so it was a pleasure and extremely interesting to read of his career before radio 2. I laughed out loud at parts and cried a river at his chapter on the fallen soldiers and the parents he interviewed. I have to say that sometimes I find him slightly dismissive on radio 2 and sometimes listening to him, he doesn't exude warmth which he talks about in this book. However reading his words I felt the warmth and humour and have to say I couldn't put it down.
I would really reccomend it !
I would really reccomend it !
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful sequence of anecdotes, catastrophes and insights from one of the BBC's great insiders
29 July 2012
Format:Hardcover
This book was simply hilarious. Laugh-out loud funny, in fact. And he says it's all true. So I guess it must be. He is a BBC journalist, after all. It's not to say that it's all light and fluffy - there are moments of necessary reflection and poignancy along the way (especially in the account of his years in Africa), as well as real insight as he reflects on what actually constitutes news.
But the majority of the book is taken up with various `rules' for success in journalism. They are many and varied. I'm considering how to appropriate them to ordinary life. But some may be a bit tricky (like the maximum number of Jeremys you can have on Newsnight, and my favourite 'Good luck and don't drop the gun'). It will all make sense in context. Just to give a flavour here are a couple of my favourites:
"One night I found the top drawer of my desk jammed shut. I rang maintenance. An hour later two workmen in blue overalls arrived with tools and levered the drawer open.
I thanked them, but just as they were leaving I tried to push the drawer closed again and found it would not budge.
`Hey sorry, excuse me-' I called them back in. `The drawer's open, but it won't shut now.'
`Sorry mate,' they said. `You need someone else for that.'
It was not just the drawers that needed shutting. I was doing a piece on Muhammad Ali and wanted some original recordings of the Rumble in the Jungle, the great fight between Ali and Foreman. So I asked the switchboard to put me through to the boxing department.
After some clicking and ringing, a woman at the other end said: `Hello, boxing?'
`Hi. Do you have the soundtrack for the fight between Ali and Foreman? The one where-'
She interrupted me. `No, sorry love, we're nothing to do with sport. This is the department that puts things in boxes.'" (p58)
Then this glorious moment:
"Justin [Webb] flew down to South Africa the same year [1995], to commentate on the Queen's visit to Cape Town. The monitors in his makeshift studio went blank just as the cameras zoomed in on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
`KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE YACHT,' the director shouted in Justin's ear, so he did.
`And there she is, nearly seven hundred royal visits, a million miles on the clock, and still no need of a refit.'
Unfortunately the line went out over a close-up of the Queen." (p335)
Fabulous with plenty more where that came from. A great read.
But the majority of the book is taken up with various `rules' for success in journalism. They are many and varied. I'm considering how to appropriate them to ordinary life. But some may be a bit tricky (like the maximum number of Jeremys you can have on Newsnight, and my favourite 'Good luck and don't drop the gun'). It will all make sense in context. Just to give a flavour here are a couple of my favourites:
"One night I found the top drawer of my desk jammed shut. I rang maintenance. An hour later two workmen in blue overalls arrived with tools and levered the drawer open.
I thanked them, but just as they were leaving I tried to push the drawer closed again and found it would not budge.
`Hey sorry, excuse me-' I called them back in. `The drawer's open, but it won't shut now.'
`Sorry mate,' they said. `You need someone else for that.'
It was not just the drawers that needed shutting. I was doing a piece on Muhammad Ali and wanted some original recordings of the Rumble in the Jungle, the great fight between Ali and Foreman. So I asked the switchboard to put me through to the boxing department.
After some clicking and ringing, a woman at the other end said: `Hello, boxing?'
`Hi. Do you have the soundtrack for the fight between Ali and Foreman? The one where-'
She interrupted me. `No, sorry love, we're nothing to do with sport. This is the department that puts things in boxes.'" (p58)
Then this glorious moment:
"Justin [Webb] flew down to South Africa the same year [1995], to commentate on the Queen's visit to Cape Town. The monitors in his makeshift studio went blank just as the cameras zoomed in on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
`KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE YACHT,' the director shouted in Justin's ear, so he did.
`And there she is, nearly seven hundred royal visits, a million miles on the clock, and still no need of a refit.'
Unfortunately the line went out over a close-up of the Queen." (p335)
Fabulous with plenty more where that came from. A great read.
59 of 67 people found the following review helpful
By Tim Kevan
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I once heard that champion table tennis players in China spend their first few years learning the discipline of all the moves and only when they have truly mastered this is the humble ping pong ball added into the mix to bring the game alive. This is a little how it feels reading Jeremy Vine's wonderful new book It's All News to Me. The first half describes his time watching the master editors and broadcasters at work and his own learning of the moves. Now don't get me wrong, this first half is a page turner which had me both laughing out loud and also agog at the picture painted of New Labour and its spin machine in Westminster. But you always got the feeling that this particular political correspondent who, despite being thrilled at the ride he had been launched upon, was still questioning whether there wasn't something more out there. All the seeds are sown during that time. The editor on the local newspaper in Coventry who taught him that you always go and listen when someone comes knocking at your door. The teacher who told him that it's not the kings and queens that matter but the poets. Then the towering figure of John Sargeant who commented that the early Jeremy Vine's scripts were so good you wondered if the story even matters. In all of this, there's an uneasiness as to what's going on with the political system and also the way that news is both defined and reported. The turning point comes, as it did for Marlow in Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', in Africa. It is there that the humble little ping pong ball which is life itself is thrown into the mix. Life in all its tragic richness in a continent plagued by wars, disease, crime and injustice. As if, before that he really had just been shadow-boxing. Faced with this, he is reminded of Auden and the importance of words and you get the feeling that the only way of even getting near to describing the full extent of the horror is through poetry. Poetry and returning to his roots and painting a picture of the story from the authentic words of the people on the ground. Those who are suffering or dispossessed rather than the power-brokers and spinners which had so defined his work until that point. From this combination of poetry and people came the gentle, humourous and sharp-witted voice that we recognise today. A voice which resonates most clearly when it is reporting on those grieving for fallen soldiers than the daily ins and outs of the Westminster bubble. It's a voice that comes through loud and clear in this wonderful book which is brilliantly written, fascinating and hilariously funny as well as full of the poetry which is life itself.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good book
A fascinating insight into Mr Vines career. Entertaining and serious at the same time. Politics and funny stuff. It's defo worth a read.
Published 1 month ago by Miss F Parkyn
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Nexus ebook
Bought the wife a nexus for xmas and she had always wanted this as a book - simple to download using kindle app and very easy to use on nexus. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr D
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely Jeremy
Harbouring a small crush on Mr Vine, I was v happy to receive this at Christmas. A fab mix of news, gossip, politics and Politics with some soft centred Jeremy thrown in, this book... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Beckie
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little disappointing read, but has its moments
I quite enjoyed this read, but felt that it had little depth. Thought I was enjoying the read, but found, that at the latter stages, I was tending to scan/speed read.
Published 2 months ago by JG
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's all news to me. Jeremy Vine.
Ideal gift for my husband, he enjoyed the book got an insight to how Jeremy does his job and his life as a serious journalist.
Published 3 months ago by Angela
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
An easy read, giving a wonderful insight into politics, the media etc. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.
Published 4 months ago by Clare Singleton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jeremy Vine
I bought this book for my husband and he is thoroughly enjoying it. He says it is an interesting read.
Published 4 months ago by Jacquimay
5.0 out of 5 stars
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Easy and very entertaining to read, gives a good idea what journalism and television presenting is all about. quite an honest book I think.
Published 4 months ago by stephanie burston
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very funny and insightful
I enjoy listening to the daily Jeremy Vine broadcast on BBC 2 and found the book to be of equally high standards, a great easy read that lifts the veil on the inner workings of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Feetdry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nobody Does It Better than Jeremy Vi ne
Nobody does it better than Jeremy Vine. He IS British radio. Only one thing... he talks about 25 years on the radio. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Robinson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
