John Suchet
Even though he left the world of television news in 2004 after more than 20 years presenting ITN’s news bulletins, John is still one of the country's best known television newscasters. Aside from news, John’s other great passion is the life and work of Beethoven.
Biography
John Suchet is one of the country’s best known television journalists. He began his career as a Reuter correspondent, covering the student riots in Paris in 1968 which ultimately brought down President de Gaulle. After a brief spell at the BBC, he joined ITN and as a reporter covered major world events, including the Polish Solidarity movement, the Iran revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Rhodesian war of independence, the Lebanese civil war, and the Philippines revolution in 1986 for which he was named TV Journalist of the Year.
After being appointed newscaster, John presented News at Ten and all other ITN bulletins for a period of almost twenty years. He was also ITN’s main commentator for the funerals of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. He was named TV Newscaster of the Year in 1996. After leaving ITN in 2004, he was invited back into the news studio by Channel Five, and was their senior news presenter in 2006-7.
In 2008 the Royal Television Society awarded John its highest accolade, the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Away from journalism, John’s main interest is classical music, and particularly the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven. He has published five books on the composer and is currently working on a sixth. For several years he has toured the country with his own group of musicians giving a talk about the life of Beethoven, and frequently broadcasts on television and radio on his favourite subject.
In 2001 the Royal Academy of Music awarded John an honorary doctorate for his work on Beethoven, and from 2004-08 he served on the Academy’s governing body. He is currently their orator, and reads citations for world class musicians who are honoured at summer graduation. These have included Valery Gergiev, Sir Colin Davis, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, as well as names from other musical spheres such as Sir Elton John and Annie Lennox.
John has frequently been heard on Classic FM, in series such as Composers’ Notes and the Strauss New Year’s Eve concerts. Since 3rd January 2011 he has presented Classic FM’s flagship morning programme from 9:00-1:00pm Monday to Friday.
You can learn more about John at his websites: www.johnsuchet.co.uk and www.madaboutbeethoven.com .
Meet John Suchet
What is your favourite piece of music in the Classic FM Hall of Fame?
Wagner's Tannhauser. That opening theme from the brass, quiet and doom-laden at the start, blazing and on fire at the end, always makes my skin tingle. Tannhauser, forced to choose between the earthly delights of Venus and her maidens or the ethereal love of Elizabeth, can't make up his mind, so loses them all. Stupid boy.
What is your most memorable on-air moment?
Doing my live Sunday programme a few weeks ago, I received a Tweet from a listener saying she was lying on the sofa enjoying the programme, thinking of the wonderful singing of Bryn Terfel she had watched on TV the night before. Knowing I would be playing Bryn Terfel later in the programme, I told her to stay tuned. She immediately tweeted: Blimey John you just name-checked me, I almost fell off the sofa!
Which composer or artist would you most like to have to dinner?
Beethoven of course. Come on Ludwig, tell me, who was your Immortal Beloved, the woman you described as "My angel, my all, my very self"? Was it Antonie Brentano, Josephine Brunsvik, or somebody else? But I'd have to remember to speak up or he wouldn't hear a word.
