Paddy Haycocks is a broadcaster and producer who has worked in the British media for over 25 years. Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on 9 April 1950[1] his first brush with fame came when he was appearing on the Streetwise section of the ill-fated Channel Four Daily. Haycocks regularly interviewed a lawyer who represented Ronnie Kray. The sartorially traditional Kray disapproved of Haycock's open-necked presenting style [2] and sent him a beautiful silk tie,[3] which Haycocks naturally wore at the first opportunity. He then went on to co-present South Today.
He is perhaps best remembered for a low-budget daytime show called As it happens[4] where he was beamed live from a famous place waiting for something to unfold, a style many critics feel[5] has been adopted by modern news channels. Haycocks himself was a pioneering presenter of Channel One, London's first digital news channel[6] but from the late 1990s worked increasingly on the other side of the camera[7] and was, until his resignation in February 2006, factual programming executive at Talkback Thames.[8] Haycocks is, in his spare time, a leading light in the Wokingham Choral Society.[9]
He has two children, Timothy and Elizabeth.