the programme.” Although its rivals produced many memorable programs, it was World in Action “slamming into the subject of each edition without wordy prefaces from a reassuring host-figure” which consistently gained a reputation for the kind of original journalism and film making which made headlines and won major awards. In its time, the series was honoured by all of the major broadcasting awards, including many BAFTA, the Royal Television Society and Emmy Awards.
World in Action’s style was the opposite to its urbane BBC rival’s, especially to the London BBC. By repute, especially in its early days World In Action would never employ anybody who was on first-name terms with any politician. Gus Macdonald, an executive producer of the programme, said it had been “born brash”. Steve Boulton, one of its last editors, wrote in The Independent that the programme’s ethos was to