337:, and fashioned from plastic, glue and leather. For the opening titles of the first five series, the crocodile marched across the United Kingdom, but for those of the sixth to fifteenth series, it marched across Europe (and from 5 October 1997, the then-new BBC logo, which had replaced the previous underlined one from 1988 only the day before, was faded in at the start of the titles). Both sequences were shot in
309:
from its 179th episode on 19 September 1993 until its last one on 15 December 2002. With the exceptions of the two special ones on 12 April 1992 and 18 November 2001, each edition ran for sixty minutes, most of them starting with a filmed piece about a major issue of the day before returning to the
341:
by 3 Peach
Animation, and at the end of most of the episodes from the sixth to fifteenth series, the credits "flew" into the crocodile's open mouth as it occasionally blinked, before it closed its mouth and lowered its head as the BBC logo of the time, the copyright notice and the editor's credit
314:(1927-2013), and for its sixth series in 1993, its theme song (which had been composed by George Fenton, but he was not credited) was revised in order to incorporate Cole's section within the programme with his own jingles.
310:
studio in which the presenter would "grill" a leading politician on the same issue. A long-running segment of the programme was a political sketch that would be presented by the late
715:
695:
690:
680:
700:
685:
285:
from 18 September 1988 to 15 December 2002, usually at a Sunday lunchtime. It was the successor to the earlier BBC political television series
710:
705:
293:. A total of 492 editions were produced over fifteen series, which apart from two special ones were all sixty minutes long.
305:, from its first episode on 18 September 1988 until its 178th one on 18 July 1993. It was later presented by
351:
618:
371:. The fifteenth series only comprised 12 episodes, and the final one was aired on 15 December 2002.
327:
591:
520:
498:
476:
454:
432:
410:
388:
311:
70:
338:
289:, which had aired on BBC 1 from 18 November 1984 until 12 June 1988, and been presented by
8:
367:
302:
274:
65:
37:
542:
79:
361:. This led to a major overhaul of their political output in 2002, resulting in
290:
282:
674:
358:
306:
74:
647:
357:
ordered a review of political output from the BBC, which was carried out by
342:(along with the programme's website address as of 27 April 1997), appeared.
568:
301:
The programme was initially presented by David
Dimbleby's younger brother,
665:
653:
354:
323:
330:
271:
34:
334:
278:
229:
616:
658:
268:
617:Jason Deans and Claire Cozens (20 September 2002).
521:"BBC One London - 19 September 1993 - BBC Genome"
455:"BBC One London - 18 September 1988 - BBC Genome"
672:
477:"BBC One London - 15 December 2002 - BBC Genome"
433:"BBC One London - 18 November 2001 - BBC Genome"
322:The programme's mascot was an enormous mutant
411:"BBC One London - 12 April 1992 - BBC Genome"
499:"BBC One London - 18 July 1993 - BBC Genome"
589:
389:"BBC One London - 1 May 1994 - BBC Genome"
716:British English-language television shows
696:2000s British political television series
691:1990s British political television series
681:1980s British political television series
16:BBC television weekly political programme
592:"BBC appoints new head of newsgathering"
701:2002 British television series endings
673:
619:"The BBC: A new manifesto for viewers"
686:1988 British television series debuts
216:50 minutes (18 November 2001 special)
711:British political television series
13:
214:40 minutes (12 April 1992 special)
14:
727:
641:
590:Jason Deans (23 December 2004).
610:
583:
561:
535:
513:
491:
469:
447:
425:
403:
381:
350:During 2000, the then-current
122:
111:
1:
374:
317:
706:BBC One original programming
7:
365:being axed and replaced by
352:Director-General of the BBC
10:
732:
90:George Fenton (uncredited)
345:
296:
235:
225:
220:
208:
137:
132:
121:
110:
102:
94:
86:
61:
43:
30:
23:
328:British House of Commons
543:"Remembering John Cole"
335:Great Westminster Clock
82:(one episode, Series 6)
339:stop-motion animation
287:This Week, Next Week
662:(Archived website)
549:. 8 November 2013
368:The Politics Show
303:Jonathan Dimbleby
275:television series
260:
259:
239:18 September 1988
189:James Leaton-Gray
157:Michael Stevenson
103:Original language
95:Country of origin
66:Jonathan Dimbleby
38:television series
723:
635:
634:
632:
630:
614:
608:
607:
605:
603:
587:
581:
580:
578:
576:
565:
559:
558:
556:
554:
539:
533:
532:
530:
528:
517:
511:
510:
508:
506:
495:
489:
488:
486:
484:
473:
467:
466:
464:
462:
451:
445:
444:
442:
440:
429:
423:
422:
420:
418:
407:
401:
400:
398:
396:
385:
256:
254:
249:15 December 2002
246:
244:
221:Original release
201:Caroline Ennigan
183:James Stephenson
124:
113:
21:
20:
731:
730:
726:
725:
724:
722:
721:
720:
671:
670:
644:
639:
638:
628:
626:
615:
611:
601:
599:
588:
584:
574:
572:
569:"On the Record"
567:
566:
562:
552:
550:
541:
540:
536:
526:
524:
519:
518:
514:
504:
502:
497:
496:
492:
482:
480:
475:
474:
470:
460:
458:
453:
452:
448:
438:
436:
431:
430:
426:
416:
414:
409:
408:
404:
394:
392:
387:
386:
382:
377:
348:
320:
299:
252:
250:
248:
242:
240:
215:
213:
204:
200:
198:
197:Joanne Hilditch
196:
194:
193:Andrew Scadding
192:
190:
188:
186:
184:
182:
180:
179:Narinder Minhas
178:
176:
174:
172:
170:
168:
166:
164:
162:
160:
159:Dippy Chaudhary
158:
156:
154:
152:
150:
146:
145:
80:Sheena McDonald
78:
73:
69:
56:
54:
52:
51:Victor Melleney
50:
48:
17:
12:
11:
5:
729:
719:
718:
713:
708:
703:
698:
693:
688:
683:
669:
668:
656:
643:
642:External links
640:
637:
636:
609:
582:
560:
534:
512:
490:
468:
446:
424:
402:
379:
378:
376:
373:
347:
344:
319:
316:
298:
295:
291:David Dimbleby
283:United Kingdom
258:
257:
237:
233:
232:
227:
223:
222:
218:
217:
210:
206:
205:
203:
202:
199:Caroline White
191:Jo-Anne Nadler
187:Sally Johnston
173:Peter Lovering
163:Leonie Jameson
143:
142:
141:
139:
135:
134:
130:
129:
126:
119:
118:
115:
108:
107:
104:
100:
99:
98:United Kingdom
96:
92:
91:
88:
84:
83:
63:
59:
58:
45:
41:
40:
32:
28:
27:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
728:
717:
714:
712:
709:
707:
704:
702:
699:
697:
694:
692:
689:
687:
684:
682:
679:
678:
676:
667:
663:
661:
660:On the Record
657:
655:
651:
650:
649:On the Record
646:
645:
624:
620:
613:
597:
593:
586:
570:
564:
548:
544:
538:
522:
516:
500:
494:
478:
472:
456:
450:
434:
428:
412:
406:
390:
384:
380:
372:
370:
369:
364:
363:On the Record
360:
359:Fran Unsworth
356:
353:
343:
340:
336:
332:
329:
326:, based on a
325:
315:
313:
308:
307:John Humphrys
304:
294:
292:
288:
284:
280:
276:
273:
270:
266:
265:
264:On the Record
238:
234:
231:
228:
224:
219:
211:
207:
185:Mark Hedgecoe
165:Nick Robinson
153:Adrian Davies
148:
147:
140:
136:
131:
127:
120:
116:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
77:(Series 6-15)
76:
75:John Humphrys
72:
67:
64:
60:
47:David Coleman
46:
42:
39:
36:
33:
29:
26:
25:On the Record
22:
19:
659:
648:
627:. Retrieved
623:The Guardian
622:
612:
600:. Retrieved
596:The Guardian
595:
585:
573:. Retrieved
563:
553:21 September
551:. Retrieved
546:
537:
525:. Retrieved
523:. BBC Genome
515:
503:. Retrieved
501:. BBC Genome
493:
481:. Retrieved
479:. BBC Genome
471:
459:. Retrieved
457:. BBC Genome
449:
437:. Retrieved
435:. BBC Genome
427:
415:. Retrieved
413:. BBC Genome
405:
393:. Retrieved
391:. BBC Genome
383:
366:
362:
349:
321:
300:
286:
263:
262:
261:
209:Running time
181:Sean O'Grady
177:Kathy McGill
151:David Jordan
68:(Series 1-5)
62:Presented by
49:Janet Crooke
24:
18:
629:13 December
602:13 December
277:, aired on
195:Robbie Gibb
175:Iain Picton
167:Jane Ashley
161:Sam Collyns
149:Gerry Baker
125:of episodes
57:Duncan Hess
55:Nick Davies
44:Directed by
675:Categories
666:BBC Online
654:BBC Online
375:References
318:Production
253:2002-12-15
243:1988-09-18
212:60 minutes
169:Simon Ford
155:Peter Hill
133:Production
53:Mark Lucas
355:Greg Dyke
324:crocodile
312:John Cole
272:political
171:Mark Dowd
114:of series
71:John Cole
35:Political
625:. London
598:. London
547:BBC News
333:and the
331:gargoyle
138:Producer
87:Composer
281:in the
279:BBC One
251: (
247: –
241: (
236:Release
230:BBC One
226:Network
106:English
527:4 July
505:4 July
483:4 July
461:4 July
439:4 July
417:4 July
395:4 July
346:Ending
297:Format
267:was a
575:5 May
571:. BBC
31:Genre
631:2011
604:2011
577:2012
555:2014
529:2020
507:2020
485:2020
463:2020
441:2020
419:2020
397:2020
144:List
664:at
652:at
269:BBC
128:492
123:No.
112:No.
677::
621:.
594:.
545:.
117:15
633:.
606:.
579:.
557:.
531:.
509:.
487:.
465:.
443:.
421:.
399:.
255:)
245:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.