Kirsty Young started out as
the fresh face of newsreading
for Channel Five ten years
ago.
Now she's taking on
a rather more established
programme. Gemma Quade asks her about Crimewatch,
ageism, family life and the
purpose of the perch'
After 23 years of presenting
Crimewatch, Nick Ross left the
popular police appeal programme
last summer. At the time, the
BBC was accused of ageism,
particularly when it was
announced newsreader Kirsty
Young - who is 21 years his
junior - was to replace him as
host on the revamped show.
Kirsty vehemently dismissed the
claims as nonsense, saying, "If I was
22 and some leggy, pouty bird, then
I could see it - but they're stretching
it a bit thin."
In fact, she says it's pretty
daunting taking over from somebody
as identified with the programme
as Nick. "You always feel a sense
of responsibility if somebody has done
a job very well before you. They are
big shoes to fill. It's much harder
to take over from somebody who
has done a great job than somebody
who has done a rotten job," she says
with a smile. "But I think the
programme is bigger than anybody
who has ever presented it - that's
why it's been going on for so long. It's
the format that is the star."
And that format will remain the
same, despite a glitzy new studio,
a new theme tune and a new presenting
team, led by 39-year-old Kirsty.
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The former Five newsreader says
there is no need to fix what isn't
broken and she has no doubt why
people enjoy the show so much, even
after more than two decades.
"One in five of the cases featured
leads to conviction but one in three
leads to arrest, so there is always
that feeling that on the night you
might be able to move things on,
which is amazing," she explains.
"It's easy to sound a little bit as
if you are over-egging it by saying
it's very important but, actually, it
really is one of those programmes
that can repeatedly make a significant
difference."
Last year, Britons were faced with
hearing the devastating statistic
that 27 teenagers were killed in
shootings and stabbings in London
alone, and Kirsty says gang-related
crime is a huge problem for the police
at the moment.
"You have to wonder what's
causing these young people to become
violent. I think it's a preoccupation
for all of us," she says. "Those
statistics may be about gang crime
and you may think gang crime is
a million miles away from you but,
if you are living and working in
a city, if your kids are walking down
the street, or if your little boy is
playing football and coming home
and is caught in the middle of it - then
those statistics matter to you.
"I wouldn't wish to pontificate
about things I'm not an expert on but
I think if you speak to psychologists
and psychiatrists who work in the
area of crime, they would probably say
a lot of it is the disenfranchisement
of youngsters. Youngsters who are
not being engaged by people who
should be responsible to them," she
continues.
"If you've got a 14-year-old, you
should know where they are. My 14-
year-old stepdaughter was out at
a party last night. We knew where it
was and my husband went to pick her
up, even though he didn't really
want to go out that late - it was after
midnight. You have to start to give
your children freedom but you have to
absolutely engage with them.
"People have all sorts of social
pressures, I get that. I know I am in
a privileged position in that my
husband and I both work and we have
a nice house. I understand everybody
is dealing with different situations but
I think at the heart of it are children
who feel society has got nothing to
do with them and therefore they feel
they can abuse that society.
"Youth clubs, football teams, civic
spaces, investing in programmes
to engage young people, they all
help, but I think ultimately the
responsibility is with the family."
Kirsty says working on Crimewatch
won't lead to her having nightmares
because she's aware that despite
the fact some crimes are seemingly
escalating it doesn't mean Britain is
less safe than it used to be because
other offences are less common.
Not that she doesn't worry, as
a mother of two young daughters
and two teenage stepchildren,
what sort of world her kids are
growing up into.
"I worry all the time," she laughs.
"I mean, I think they're growing up
into a fabulous world. I am one of
these people who thinks the glass
is half full. But my husband and
I are bringing our two girls up in
London - and that in itself is a challenge
because of the things they
are exposed to.
"I don't have the view the world
is a horrible place but you have to
be smart, careful and not expose
yourself to risk. Those are things,
especially with my husband's elder
two children, you try to explain
to them, while giving them more
freedom. You want to wrap them up
in cotton wool - but you can't."
Last autumn, Kirsty left channel
Five after ten years of presenting
its news programme. It was the
role that had made her a household
name, but she says she knew it was
the right time to move on.
"I had a real ball doing it but I was
ready to stop." she says. "I've worked
with people who have gone on
doing the jobs they do for too long and
I didn't ever want to be one of those. I
wanted to leave while they still
thought I was fabulous!" she laughs.
"I really surprised myself by
handing in my notice because I
thought, Is this going to be the sound
of tumbleweed whistling through
my career?' But it felt the right time
to do it."
And while we may not see the
Radio 4 Desert Island Discs host
reading the news again, she will
always remain known for her
infamous presenting style.
"Yes, the perching," she grins. "The
idea was to try and move on what
was a very conservative medium.
We wanted to make a point of
difference visually by saying, We
have a more informal approach -
we are you, but we've read all the
papers and spoken to world leaders.'
"Now everybody's at it. It wasn't
my idea but I wish it had been so
I could take credit for it - every time
somebody perched I'd get a tenner.
That would be fantastic."
Kirsty says it's taken her a while to
adjust to life without newsreading,
but she's just about getting there.
"I'm actually not obsessed with
it now - I can go through a day
without seeing television news,
whereas before that would never
have happened.
"I think that's quite healthy - I'm
almost a normal person again!"
Do you think crime is getting worse? Leave your comments below
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