Tonight (1957 TV series)
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This article refers to the BBC TV programme of the 1950s hosted by Cliff Michelmore; for the ITV newsmagazine hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald see Tonight (television programme)Tonight was a
BBC television current affairs programme presented by
Cliff Michelmore and broadcast in Britain live on weekday evenings from 1957 to 1965. The producers were
Donald Baverstock and
Alasdair Milne. The audience was typically seven million.
The programme covered the arts and sciences as well as topical matters and current affairs. There was a mixture of incisive and light-hearted items: unscripted studio interviews, by
Derek Hart,
Geoffrey Johnson-Smith and Michelmore himself; and filmed reports. Reporters included
Alan Whicker,
Fyfe Robertson,
Kenneth Allsop,
Chris Brasher,
Julian Pettifer,
Brian Redhead and
Polly Elwes.
The programme received the Guild of Television Producers and Directors (now
BAFTA) award for best factual programme in 1957 and 1958. The style was informal with no attept to hide studio gadgetry. Michelmore gave a very relaxed performance, sometimes perching on the edge of his desk, seemingly unphased by the ringing of his desk telephone letting him know about technical problems.
There were regular apprearances by
Cy Grant, singing a "topical calypso", and folk singers
Robin Hall and
Jimmy McGregor.
It was during an episode of
Tonight broadcast on the evening of Friday
November 22 1963 that BBC television broke the news of the
assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy to the UK as a whole, although
Granada Television had already broadcast the news to viewers in the
northern ITV region.
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BBC History of TV news in the 1950s*
Museum of Broadcast Communications: Tonight*
Whirligig TV, TV 1950s nostalgia: Tonight
