Janet Street-Porter - Television

Television

Street-Porter went into television at LWT in 1975, first as a reporter on a series of mainly youth-oriented programmes, including The London Weekend Show (1975–79). She went on to present the late-night chat show Saturday Night People (1978–80) with Clive James and Russell Harty. She later produced Twentieth Century Box (1980–82), presented by Danny Baker.

She was editor of the innovative Channel Four Network 7 show from 1987. The same year the then BBC 2 boss, Alan Yentob, appointed her head of youth and entertainment features. She was responsible for the twice-weekly DEF II and commissioned Rapido, Red Dwarf and Rough Guide. Her Network 7 show was in 1988 awarded a BAFTA for its graphics.

In 1992, she provided the story for The Vampyr: A Soap Opera, the BBC's adaptation of Heinrich August Marschner's opera Der Vampyr, which featured a new libretto by Charles Hart.

Street-Porter's approach did not endear her to critics, who objected to her diction and questioned her suitability as an influence on Britain's youth. In her final year at the BBC, she became head of independent commissioning. She left the BBC for Mirror Group Newspapers in 1994 to become joint-managing director with Kelvin MacKenzie of the ill-fated L!VE TV channel. She left after four months. In 1996, Street-Porter set up her own production company.

She has appeared on numerous reality TV shows, including Call Me a Cabbie and So You Think You Can Teach. The latter saw her trying to work as a primary school teacher. She was a contestant in the ITV series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. She finished fourth.

Street-Porter conducted numerous interviews with business figures and others for Bloomberg TV.

Since 1998, Janet has appeared annually on BBC's Question Time. Her most recent appearance was 4 October 2012.

In 2000, Street-Porter was nominated for the "Mae West Award for the Most Outspoken Woman in the Industry" at Carlton Television's Women in Film and Television Awards.

In 2006, she appeared regularly on chef Gordon Ramsay's The F-Word, where she was the "field correspondent." In this capacity, it was her job to locate outlandish or unusual food such as crocodile and then tempt diners to have a taste. In the third series of the show she caused controversy when she attempted to serve up horse meat at Cheltenham Racecourse. She was thwarted by the police, who described the stunt as highly provocative, and she had to dish the meat out elsewhere. Ramsay himself became the target of animal rights protesters, who dumped a ton of horse manure outside his restaurant at Claridge's.

In 2007, Street-Porter starred in an ITV2 reality show called Deadline. She served as a tough-talking editor who worked with a team of celebrity "reporters" whose job it was to produce a weekly gossip magazine. The celebrities in question had to endure the Street-Porter tongue as she decided each week which of them to fire.

In 2007, Street-Porter took part in the BBC Wales programme Coming Home about her Welsh family history.

In 2008, Street-Porter was host of Celebrity Big Brother Hijack.

Her distinctive voice has made her a favourite of TV and radio impersonators.

In 2011, Janet joined a long list of panellists on ITVs flagship show Loose Women.