Peter Snow - Life and Career

Life and Career

Snow was a foreign correspondent, Defence and Diplomatic Correspondent, Diplomatic Editor and occasional newscaster for Britain's Independent Television News (ITN). He also appeared as an election analyst and co-presenter of ITN's General Election programmes throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. He joined the organisation in1962.He gained a much higher profile after he was recruited in 1979 to be the main presenter of the new late evening BBC Two in-depth news programme Newsnight, which began almost a year later than planned, in January 1980. He left Newsnight in 1997 and presented Tomorrow's World (with Philippa Forrester) and the BBC Radio 4 quizzes Masterteam and Brain of Britain, amongst other projects.

Snow has been involved as an election analyst and co-presenter in the live General Election results programmes for many years, first at ITN for five General Elections (1966 - 1979 inclusive) and later at the BBC for a further six (1983 - 2005 incl.). He presented in-depth statistical analyses of the election results at both ITN and the BBC, and at the BBC took over responsibility for this in 1983, following the death of Robert McKenzie, and became largely associated with McKenzie's famous BBC "Swingometer" when it was reinstated in 1992. He is known for his somewhat excitable style of presentation and ever-more elaborate props and graphics, though perhaps his most famous prop was the most basic - a sandpit which he used to illustrate the progress of the First Gulf War in early 1991. In 1994, he parodied his election role by providing analysis of the entries for the Eurovision Song Contest in the BBC's two contest preview shows ahead of the final in Dublin. His data analysis predicted that either France or the United Kingdom would win. They finished 7th and 10th respectively.

Snow survived a plane crash at Port Blakely, Washington, United States on 1 October 1999 when the De Havilland DHC-2 MARK I, registration number N9766Z in which he was a passenger hit trees during a film project for the BBC.

Along with his son, Dan, Snow presented a TV series Battlefield Britain, covering battles on British soil from Boudicca's struggle with the Romans to the Battle of Britain. Sometimes they point out the hardships that the much smaller soldiers must have faced (Peter is 6'5" and Dan is 6'6"). They reunited to host 20th Century Battlefields for BBC 2 and the Military Channel in 2006. This covers battles all around the world and is presented in similar fashion to the first Battlefield Britain.

On 6 October 2005, the BBC announced that Snow would cease working on election broadcasts to concentrate on nature programmes. Snow himself is quoted as saying "I shall be over 70 at the next general election and that, frankly, is a bit old to be dancing around waving it all about in front of huge graphic displays."

In January 2008, while presenting What Britain Earns, a BBC programme about salaries in the UK alongside his son, Snow admitted to earning around £100,000 a year.

In August 2008 Snow appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series, Maestro on BBC Two.

In July 2009, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the NASA moon landings, ITN produced five special 10-minute programmes for ITV1 titled Mission to the Moon - News from 1969. Snow participated in these programmes, acting as a correspondent alongside former ITN colleague John Suchet, the presenter of the specials.

Snow also presented a special on BBC Radio 4 focusing on "Britain's First Day of War in 1939".

On the show Horrible Histories, there is a regular sketch in the section 'HHTV News' featuring Bob Hale, a character whose personality is similar to that of Peter Snow. He is known for his catchphrases 'But not for long!' and 'Or so we thought!' and usually concludes with a summary but then starts talking more.