This Week (BBC TV series)

This Week is a current affairs and politics TV programme in the United Kingdom on the BBC, screened on Thursday evenings, hosted by former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil alongside former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister Michael Portillo, and a left leaning guest panellist on rotation.

The show has a more light-hearted tone than most political programming and prides itself on being "punchy, irreverent, satirical". This is aided by the fact that neither of the regular panellists is constrained by party politics, as former panallist Diane Abbott was noted for rebelling against the former Labour government and Portillo has left the House of Commons. The two were ostensibly an "odd couple" coming from different sides of the political spectrum; however, they have a long-standing friendship dating back to when both attended grammar school in Harrow, even appearing in a production of Macbeth together.

Format

The standard format consists of three segments each with a guest contributor. The first features a journalist or commentator who present their "Take Of The Week" in a short film before appearing in the studio to discuss their perspective further. The second segment is a light hearted roundup of the week in and around Parliament. Mark Mardell presented this before he became the BBC's Europe Editor in 2005. It is currently presented by one of a rotation of prominent writers and...
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