She listens to Shannon and the Clams’ vintage-inspired pop, David Byrne, Springsteen and Bowie.
She’s fond of an occasional single malt with ice to help her unwind, or a refreshing G&T to perk her up.
Quite often broadcaster Kirsty Wark’s social media feed will also reveal she is stuck on a train, yet again, somewhere between London and Glasgow, or on a ferry bound for her favourite spot in Arran.
She chats to her followers about food, books, art and Chanel No.19, of which she’s stockpiled around £600 worth, unopened, just in case supplies run dry, and which she can afford thanks to her £200,000 Newsnight salary.
What you don’t get – not surprisingly – is any hint of Kirsty Wark’s political views.
Her apparent neutrality – her friends within Scottish Labour aside – along with a razor-sharp mind, encyclopaedic knowledge of current affairs, calm yet, when required, extremely feisty demeanour and extremely likeable persona have placed Dumfries-born Wark among the front-runners for the hottest job in political broadcasting: the ringmaster role on the BBC’s flagship Question Time.
The job becomes vacant in mid-December, when David Dimbleby hangs up his colourful tie collection and ends 25 years of pointing at slightly discombobulated audience members while attempting to describe their clothes or hairstyles without causing offence.
But first he will be in his usual centre stage spot, when Question Time rolls into the Scottish Parliament debating chamber next month, for a programme that will form part of the Festival of Politics.
The October 11 programme is likely to be the last chance for Scots to see a master chairman at work before a new, fresh-faced presenter takes over.
According to the bookies, that will probably be Wark, frontrunner among a Who’s Who of broadcasters linked to a role said to earn Dimbleby around £450,000 a year.
Challenging the 62-year-old Scot is fellow Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, BBC News Channel Newswatch host Samira Ahmed, daytime presenter Victoria Derbyshire, Channel 4 anchorman Krishnan Guru-Murthy and ex-Newsnight host Jeremy Paxman.
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So, what are Glasgow-based Wark’s chances? And where might she take a programme that’s had just three middle-aged male presenters and barely changed format since its launch in 1979?
Jeremy Vine, who has boldly claimed his new Channel 5 show will outperform Question Time, says whoever takes over may regret the move.
“The next person to do Question Time might like to remember that alternate presenters get universally savaged,” he said recently. “Ask Sir Robin Day’s successor, Peter Sissons. By the end there was nothing left of him but his teeth.”
That won’t worry Wark, the daughter of a solicitor and schoolteacher who was launched into political broadcasting as host of BBC Scotland’s Left, Right And Centre, a tartan version of Question Time in the 1980s.
Since then Wark has won countless awards, calmly brought political leaders to task on Newsnight and brilliantly skewered them.
Then prime minister Margaret Thatcher was left squirming after Wark casually asked: “Why are you so unpopular in Scotland?”
According to former STV chief executive Rob Woodward, who is credited with turning around the channel and introducing Scotland Tonight, Wark could give Question Time a much-needed shot in the arm.
“Question Time is a much revered and loved programme but it needs to move with the times and reflect the contemporary UK landscape, reflect diversity and aim to be as inclusive as possible,” he argues.
“Kirsty Wark has a wonderful disarming but forceful style combined with a common touch that would without doubt extend the programme’s appeal.”
For Kezia Dugdale, former leader of Scottish Labour, the time has come for a female anchor.
“There are a huge number of incredibly talented female presenters working at the corporation, including Kirsty Wark, Mishal Husain and Emily Maitlis,” she says.
“In terms of guests, we need less of Nigel Farage and more of Loki and other voices from outside the political establishment – while ensuring it still holds those in power to account.”
Despite criticism of “dumbing down” with guests that include actors and comedians, Question Time remains the UK’s foremost political programme, with about 2.7million viewers.
It hit a peak of 8.3m when Nick Griffin of the BNP appeared on the panel in 2009 – a point that ushered in a new, highly controversial style of panel member, and saw Nigel Farage and opinionated historian David Starkey favoured over what some might regard as far more relevant political voices.
That, says former Scottish first minister Jack McConnell,
now Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, has contributed to the programme losing its way.
“It’s deliberately moved away from a programme that expands the knowledge of the viewer, to one that has attempted to be an entertainment show in which people shout at each other.
In an age when too many media interviews are carefully controlled to produce a line for news, Question Time could play an important role. Instead, it produces zero public benefit in that context.”
While reluctant to discuss his friend’s potential role on the programme, his vision of the next presenter is not a million miles away from Wark.
He says: “The role needs someone who has authority, who is well-researched and doesn’t rely on research done by a team behind the scenes. It needs someone who has the potential to be seen as at least an equal to the people around the table in terms of knowledge of current affairs and credibility.”
Darren “Loki” McGarvey, author of Poverty Safari, who appeared on Question Time when it visited Perth in May, says Dimbleby’s role is deceptively complex.
“I found myself distracted by observing him. It’s one thing watching on television, but it’s a live discussion, it’s moving fast with different personalities, different history and different politics and he is moving from moment to moment. You develop a deep appreciation for his experience and why he is so effective in that role.
“Kirsty Wark is the high priestess of establishment. That’s not a criticism, but when we have figures with a standard BBC outlook taking the conversation, it will always exist within the same parameters.
“Any presenter of a certain stature will be able to adapt to the environment and put their own spin on it, and Kirsty Wark will be more than capable of that.”
Whether she becomes the next Question Time chairwoman or not, Wark has plans to remain part of the political broadcasting scene for a long time to come.
“I feel as empowered as ever,” she said in a recent interview with The Herald. “There are key things I want to do and I’m very lucky I get to do them. You have to keep changing and developing.”
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