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Why the Sunday Programme is essential viewing
Our weekday output provides many current affairs stories but our formal requirement of one hour per week of high quality national and international current affairs, averaged over the year, was supplied by The Sunday Programme our independent commission from Samphire Productions.
During 2004, the programme continued to attract top-level politicians from all parties. Perhaps the highlight was our interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, on the weekend before the vote on student tuition fees.
Gordon Brown's comments about the need to support the Prime Minister and his remarks about the Prime Minister's future dominated the political news agenda for three days, and generated several front page news stories.
Government ministers
This year more Cabinet Ministers have chosen the Sunday programme to give news-making interviews than at any time in the programme's history, including: Health Secretary John Reid, Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt, International Development Secretary Hilary Benn, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and the Leader of the Commons Peter Hain.
The Leader of the Lib Democrats, Charles Kennedy, also appeared, as did several senior Conservatives, including Shadow Health Secretary Tim Yeo, Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, the Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin and the former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Howe.
The Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell appeared on the programme twice, and caused a storm when she told the programme that she regarded Big Brother as "public service broadcasting".
London mayor
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone appeared on the show for the first time in two years, and caused a major controversy when he described owners of four-wheel drive vehicles as "complete idiots".
The story spread around the world, sparking a debate on internet chat-sites, and was widely reported in the British press.
Iraq was again a major domestic and international political story, and the Sunday Programme sought the views of Britain's faith communities on the issue. We interviewed the senior Roman Catholic leader Archbishop Vincent Nicholls, while the new Lib Dem Muslim peer Kishwer Falkner and the first female Muslim Peer, Labour's Baroness Uddin also appeared on the show to air their concerns.
Finally, the Sunday Programme brought together five former Foreign Secretaries for the first time to debate Britain's place in the world - and in particular, her relationships with America and Europe.
The programme, which featured Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Robin Cook, Lord Hurd, Lord Howe and Lord Owen, generated several news articles, and was warmly received by viewers.
