The Queen of Newsnight and Scottish novelist is now the one who answers the questions put to her by old friend Alan Cumming

Kirsty Wark has built up a reputation as one of the UK’s most formidable and versatile television journalists. She is best known as an anchor on the BBC’s flagship News and Current Affairs show Newsnight.

Born in Dumfries and now based in Glasgow, Kirsty’s broadcasting career began in 1976 when she joined the BBC as a graduate researcher. She produced a range of radio programmes in Scotland before spending time in London as a producer on Radio Four’s The World at One and PM. In 1983 she moved to television to produce Reporting Scotland and was the first woman to edit the programme.

Kirsty was one of the first television journalists to arrive on the scene when PAN AM Flight 103 was blown up in the skies above Lockerbie in 1988.  Two years later, she famously locked horns with Margaret Thatcher in a headline making interview which propelled her into the national spotlight.  In addition to political reporting, Kirsty presents many arts and cultural programmes; career highlights have included interviews with Madonna, Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, Damien Hirst and George Clooney, to name just a few.

She has fronted many documentaries for BBC Television including the critically acclaimed Blurred Lines: The New Battle of the Sexes and more recently The Insiders’ Guide to the Menopause which was nominated for a BAFTA.

Away from the studio lights, food is her passion. She reached the final in Celebrity MasterChef in 2011 and was crowned top celebrity baker on The Great British Bake Off for Comic Relief. She has made cameo appearances in a range of television dramas, radio programmes and films including Dr Who, Absolutely Fabulous, The IT Crowd, Spooks, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, The Acid House, Beyond the Pole, Party Animals, With Great Pleasure and The Politician’s Husband.

Kirsty has several major accolades to her name including BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, Journalist of the Year and Best Television Presenter.  In February 2024, the Royal Television Society awarded her with The Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her tenure presenting BBC Newsnight and delivering landmark interviews, while providing a formidable breadth of knowledge, mentorship and guidance to others in the industry.

In addition to presenting on television, Kirsty also broadcasts on the radio and is the host of The Reunion on BBC Radio 4.

In the June 2023 Graduation Ceremonies at University of St Andrews, Kirsty was awarded Doctor of Letters (DLitt)  in recognition of her outstanding career in journalism and broadcasting.

Kirsty has written two novels – The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle and The House by the Loch – both published by Two Roads. She is currently writing her third novel.