Political pandemonium turned a tiny channel into the BBC’s runaway success of the year. Its controller Peter Knowles reflects on a remarkable 12 months
‘It was about half one in the morning,” says Peter Knowles, recalling the peak of his crazy year as the controller of BBC Parliament, namely the night of the failed prorogation. “Black Rod showed up and Mr Speaker stayed in his chair. It was poisonous and marked a low point between the two sides. The speaker was sticking his neck out, saying this prorogation wasn’t lawful – and it didn’t look like he’d given Black Rod any warning. This was a very vivid drama playing out in the middle of the night. In terms of what I’ll remember from the year, it’ll be hard to beat that.”
Anyone pondering the state of British politics in 2019 may have reflected that every crisis is an opportunity in disguise. This year saw a brisk trade in ringtones of John Bercow, the former Speaker, bellowing “Order!” The spider brooch worn by the supreme court president Lady Hale as she shattered Boris Johnson’s dreams kickstarted a trend for animal-shaped accessories. And BBC Parliament – hitherto the forbidding, small-screen equivalent of the headmaster’s study – became our newest TV obsession.
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