Harold Wilson
The editions of 12 and 19 October 1979 were the first television shows ever hosted by a former or sitting British prime minister. Harold Wilson had resigned as PM three years earlier. A media-savvy personality, he seemed a promising host for a talk show, an experiment now seen as a failure. Wilson was at a loss, often leaving gaps while he tried to think of a question to ask his guests, such as Pat Phoenix and Harry Secombe. In 2000, Friday Night, Saturday Morning was voted in the "100 TV Moments from Hell" by Channel 4. One critic described Wilson's reading the autocue as if it were the Rosetta Stone.
Producer Iain Johnstone later attributed Wilson's poor performance to memory loss. It may have been an early sign of the Alzheimer's disease which caused Wilson's later dementia.
Read more about this topic: Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Famous quotes containing the words harold wilson and/or wilson:
“A week is a long time in politics.”
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