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The ''ITV Evening News'' is the evening news programme produced by ITN on the British television network ITV. It airs Monday to Friday from 6:30pm, covering British national and international news stories and is presented by
Mary Nightingale Mary Nightingale (born 26 May 1963) is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the '' ITV Evening News'' since 2001. Education and early career Nightingale was educated at St Margaret's School, an independent s ...
.


History

On 22 September 1955 when the ITV television service was launched, ITN provided an early evening news service at 5:50pm. It was known as ''ITN News'', and presented by
Gordon Honeycombe Ronald Gordon Honeycombe (27 September 1936 – 9 October 2015), known professionally as Gordon Honeycombe, was a British newscaster, author, playwright and stage actor. Honeycombe was born in Karachi, in the British Raj. He was educated at th ...
. This simple bulletin made use of a single camera, and was intended as a round-up of the day's headlines and looking at stories to be covered in more length by that evening's edition of '' News at Ten''. On 6 September 1976, ''ITN News'' moved to 5:45pm and was renamed ''News at 545''. The ''545'' marked a major departure in presentational style from the ''ITN News'' that had preceded it. Initially, the bulletins were broadcast from the '' Police 5'' studio, which enabled the producers to make extensive use of chromakey to display images behind the newscaster, several studio cameras, interviews with correspondents in the studio and on a TV monitor, and wide screen shots of the studio set at the beginning and end of the programme, and when handing over to correspondents.
Alastair Burnet Sir James William Alexander Burnet (12 July 192820 July 2012), known as Alastair Burnet, was a British journalist and broadcaster, best known for his work in news and current affairs programmes, including a long career with ITN as chief presente ...
was the original presenter of the ''News at 545''. Michael Nicholson fronted the bulletin on Fridays, and was also a relief presenter. Immediately after the animated visual 'roll' and electronic theme music at the beginning, an announcer intoned in a hushed tone: "The news at 5:45, with Alastair Burnett/Michael Nicholson". Other relief presenters in the late 1970s included
Leonard Parkin Leonard Parkin (2 June 1929 – 20 September 1993) was a British television journalist and newscaster who worked for both the BBC and ITN. Born in Thurnscoe, West Riding of Yorkshire, he was educated at Hemsworth Grammar School, Yorkshire. ...
, who at the time also regularly hosted the '' News at One'', and
Martyn Lewis Sir Martyn John Dudley Lewis (born 7 April 1945) is a Welsh television news presenter and journalist. He was a presenter for BBC News television programmes between 1986 and 1999 and was known for his involvement in the coverage of the death o ...
. In March 1980, when Burnet departed the ''545'' to present '' News at Ten'', Nicholson replaced him as lead presenter, with
Carol Barnes Carol Lesley Barnes (13 September 1944 – 8 March 2008) was a British television newsreader and broadcaster. She worked for ITN from 1975 to 2004. Early life Barnes was born in Norwich, and attended St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for ...
taking over as relief presenter. In September 1986, Nicholson left the ''545'' to return to war reporting, and was replaced by
Alastair Stewart Alastair James Stewart OBE (born 22 June 1952) is an English former journalist and newscaster. Formerly presenting for ITV News, he joined GB News as a presenter in 2021. He has won the Royal Television Society's News Presenter of the Year awa ...
. On 4 April 1988 the ''News at 545'' underwent some cosmetic changes, with the animated visual 'roll' logo and electronic theme music being dropped in favour of a new computer-generated opening sequence and a more contemporary theme tune; the studio images were still inlaid using chromakey, although these were now also generated by computer. The programme was moved to the main newsroom within the ITN headquarters building, and full-length reports were now featured as part of the programme. ITN dispensed with the "main" presenter and relief host format, and instead a "team" of newscasters –
Alastair Stewart Alastair James Stewart OBE (born 22 June 1952) is an English former journalist and newscaster. Formerly presenting for ITV News, he joined GB News as a presenter in 2021. He has won the Royal Television Society's News Presenter of the Year awa ...
,
Fiona Armstrong Fiona Armstrong, Lady MacGregor (born 28 November 1956), is a British television journalist and is Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries. She is also the author of several books and has written for newspapers and made television programmes on Scottish to ...
, Nicholas Owen,
Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian- British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN. McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism. Career ...
,
Sue Carpenter Sue Carpenter (born 17 May 1956 in London, England) is a United Kingdom former newsreader and television presenter. She graduated in English Literature and Icelandic at King's College London in 1977. After presenting regional BBC news programme ...
and
Carol Barnes Carol Lesley Barnes (13 September 1944 – 8 March 2008) was a British television newsreader and broadcaster. She worked for ITN from 1975 to 2004. Early life Barnes was born in Norwich, and attended St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for ...
– began presenting the show on a "rotation" basis. On 13 February 1989, the introduction of a national weather forecast at the end of the programme led to the bulletin's timeslot starting earlier at 5:40pm, being extended in length and the title being changed to ''News at 540''. Due to the Gulf Crisis of 1991, ITN were temporarily granted a full half-hour slot each evening; the continued change of time (and length) of the bulletin around this time led to the ''News at 540'' being known simply as the ''ITN News''. On 2 March 1992, ''ITN News at 540'' was renamed ''ITN Early Evening News'' (a name previously used in the 1980s when the bulletin did not air at its usual time). The new look made good use of ITN's impressive headquarters in London with opening sequence consisting of a camera panning across the building towards the newsdesk giving a panoramic view of the newsroom.
John Suchet John Aleck Suchet ( ; born 29 March 1944) is an English author, television news journalist, and presenter of classical music on Classic FM. Suchet has two brothers, one of whom is the actor Sir David Suchet. Early life Suchet was born in Lon ...
became the lead presenter, a role in which he continued until 1999. Barnes and Owen acted as relief presenters. On 6 March 1995 all of ITN's news programmes on ITV were relaunched with a more unified look, with exception to ''News at Ten'' which maintained its separate identity. The new look, however, brought elements of ''News at Ten'' to ITN's other bulletins such as the use of the clockface of Big Ben and the ''News at Ten'' theme-tune, however the tune was rearranged differently. The studio at the time made heavy use of the colour blue – ITN's corporate colour at the time. The intro showed different images of Big Ben's clockface with the hands of the clock eventually striking the time at 5:40 – the time at which the programme began. Around this time,
Dermot Murnaghan Dermot John Murnaghan (; born 26 December 1957) is a British broadcaster. A presenter for Sky News, he was a news presenter at CNBC Europe, Independent Television News and BBC News. He has presented news programmes in a variety of time slots ...
became the main relief presenter. The ''ITV Evening News'' was launched on 8 March 1999. The launch coincided with major changes to the scheduling of news programmes on ITV. ITN's ''Early Evening News'' programme was moved from 5:40pm to 6:30pm and renamed the ''ITV Evening News''. The programme was extended to become a 30-minute programme, effectively replacing ''News at Ten'' as the channel's flagship news programme which itself was also axed at this time and replaced with a shorter 20 minute bulletin at 11:00pm entitled the ''
ITV Nightly News The ''ITV Nightly News'' was the nightly news programme on British television network ITV, produced by ITN and broadcast Monday to Friday at 11:00pm. The 20-minute bulletin, originally presented by Dermot Murnaghan, was introduced as part of a ...
''. Initially, the programme was fronted by
Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian- British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN. McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism. Career ...
, with Murnaghan and
Kirsty Young Kirsty Jackson Young (born 23 November 1968) is a Scottish television and radio presenter. From 2006 to 2018 she was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's ''Desert Island Discs''. She presented ''Crimewatch'' on BBC One from 2008 to 2015. Early ...
the most regular relief presenters. The axing of ''News at Ten'' proved unpopular at the time and caused outcry from politicians and the general public, and ratings for ITV's news programmes fell. ''ITV News at Ten'' returned on 22 January 2001, with McDonald once again at the helm; Murnaghan and Young became the lead presenters of the dual-headed ''Evening News''.
Mary Nightingale Mary Nightingale (born 26 May 1963) is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the '' ITV Evening News'' since 2001. Education and early career Nightingale was educated at St Margaret's School, an independent s ...
replaced Young a few months later when Young decided not to return following maternity leave. Mark Austin replaced Murnaghan following his defection to
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
in late 2002. The programme relaunched on 2 February 2004 in what was then a state of the art virtual studio set dubbed the ''Theatre of News'' along with the other ITV News programmes. The move saw the ITN newscasters standing (or walking) in front of a news-wall and presenting graphics to viewers. The ''Theatre of News'' was scaled back following a relaunch on 9 February 2009, with a return to a more traditional style of presenters sat behind a desk. On 3 August 2009, it was announced that after 16 years co-presenting ''
London Tonight ''ITV News London'' is a British television news service broadcast on both ITV London and the ITV Hub. It is produced by ITN. History London News Network The programme launched on Monday 4 January 1993 as ''London Tonight'', after Carlton ...
'', Alastair Stewart was to leave the regional news programme to become lead co-presenter of the ''ITV Evening News''. Mark Austin would focus on ''ITV News at Ten'', but continue as a relief presenter for the 6.30pm bulletin. On 2 November 2009 the programme was retitled as the ''ITV News at 6:30''. The studio set was virtual, using a new green screen electronic compositing system known as 'Ultimatte'. Virtual sets can be created instantly and at low cost. Unlike traditional
Chroma key Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to ...
systems, Ultimatte allows for such things as full camera movement and can generate artificial reflections on glass and metallic surfaces. It was announced in June 2015 that, as part of a wider restructure at ITV News, Mark Austin would return to the programme full-time, alongside Mary Nightingale from October 2015. Alastair Stewart continues to appear on the programme as a relief presenter, alongside his duties on the ''
ITV Lunchtime News The ''ITV Lunchtime News'' is the afternoon news programme produced by ITN on the British television network ITV. It airs Monday to Friday from 1:30pm, covering British national and international news stories and is presented by Nina Hossain. ...
''. Coinciding with the main presenter line-up, the programme is once again being referred to as the ''ITV Evening News''. After thirty years with '' ITV News'', it was announced on 26 October 2016 that Austin would leave at the end of the year. It was later confirmed on 13 December 2016 that Nightingale would become the sole presenter of the ''ITV Evening News'' from January 2017 onwards. Austin presented his final bulletin alongside Nightingale on 22 December 2016. On 24 January 2022, ITV announced that the ''ITV Evening News'' will be extended to an hour from 7 March 2022, following the biggest expansion of the ITV News Network in 20 years. The move will include hiring 27 new staff which will include journalists, producers and camera operators. The move will also ensure more live coverage will be provided from more locations across the UK, with an emphasis to cover more stories around Britain. The regional news programmes will remain at 30 minutes in the usual 6:00pm slot. ITV Border Scotland,
ITV Cymru Wales ITV Cymru Wales, previously known as Harlech Television and HTV Wales, is the ITV franchise for Wales. The new separate licence began on 1 January 2014, replacing the long-serving dual franchise region serving Wales and the West of England. L ...
, STV and UTV have the option of opting-out of the Friday edition of the programme at 7pm to broadcast regional shows. On 7 March 2022, the first newly extended ''ITV Evening News'' was broadcast at 6:30pm on ITV with Mary Nightingale, who continues to be main anchor of the show, with slightly tweaked on screen graphics, and with the addition of the national
ITV Weather ITV Weather is the national and regional forecast shown on UK terrestrial network ITV, and is provided by the Met Office (except the Channel Islands forecast, which is provided by the Jersey Meteorological Department). Bulletins are usually bro ...
bulletin, presented by Alex Beresford now being broadcast during the hour show in the studio. The set was altered very slightly, with the screens either side of the presenter changing. The rest of the set and the theme tune stayed the same.


Viewing figures

''ITV Evening News'' was watched by an average of 3.2 million viewers (a 21% share of viewing) in 2021.


Theme music

The opening title music has been composed by Dave Hewson since 1992. The current title sequence was designed by Lambie Nairn and the music is called "Global Broadcast".


On air staff


Lead newscaster

*
Mary Nightingale Mary Nightingale (born 26 May 1963) is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the '' ITV Evening News'' since 2001. Education and early career Nightingale was educated at St Margaret's School, an independent s ...
(2001–present)


Other newscasters

* Lucrezia Millarini (2019–present) * Rageh Omaar (2015–present) *
Kylie Pentelow Kylie Ann Pentelow (born 29 June 1979) is an English journalist and television news presenter. She is a presenter of ''ITV News West Country'' and the ''ITV Weekend News''. Education and career Pentelow was educated at the Sir Christopher Hatt ...
(2020–present) * Chris Ship (2021–present) * Romilly Weeks (2006–14; 2021–present) * Charlene White (2014–present) *
Gamal Fahnbulleh Gamal Fahnbulleh (born April 1982) is a British broadcast journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITV Granada. He presents Granada Reports, an evening news programme for North West England and the Isle of Man. Early life Gamal Fahnbull ...
(2022–present)


Former newscasters

*
Fiona Armstrong Fiona Armstrong, Lady MacGregor (born 28 November 1956), is a British television journalist and is Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries. She is also the author of several books and has written for newspapers and made television programmes on Scottish to ...
(1985–1991) * Mark Austin (2001–2016) *
Carol Barnes Carol Lesley Barnes (13 September 1944 – 8 March 2008) was a British television newsreader and broadcaster. She worked for ITN from 1975 to 2004. Early life Barnes was born in Norwich, and attended St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for ...
(1982–1994) * Felicity Barr (2001–2005) * Michael Brunson (1980–1981) *
Alastair Burnet Sir James William Alexander Burnet (12 July 192820 July 2012), known as Alastair Burnet, was a British journalist and broadcaster, best known for his work in news and current affairs programmes, including a long career with ITN as chief presente ...
(1976–1984) * Andrea Byrne (2011–2012) *
Sue Carpenter Sue Carpenter (born 17 May 1956 in London, England) is a United Kingdom former newsreader and television presenter. She graduated in English Literature and Icelandic at King's College London in 1977. After presenting regional BBC news programme ...
(1988–1990) *
Andrea Catherwood Andrea Catherine Catherwood (born 27 November 1967) is a Northern Irish television presenter and journalist. Early life Andrea Catherwood was born and raised in Belfast where her mother, Adrienne McGuill, was an announcer and newsreader at Ul ...
(2003–2006) *
Katie Derham Catherine Beatrice Margaret Derham (born 18 June 1970) is a British newscaster and a presenter on television and radio. Early life and education Derham was born on 18 June 1970 in Canterbury, Kent to Margaret, a teacher, and John Derham, a chem ...
(1999–2010) *
Julie Etchingham Julie Anne Etchingham (born 21 August 1969) is an English journalist who works as a television newsreader with ITV News. A graduate of Newnham College, Cambridge, Etchingham joined the BBC as a trainee after completing her studies, and went on ...
(2008–2015) *
Shiulie Ghosh Shiulie Ghosh ( bn, , /ʃjuli ghɔːʃ/, born 28 September 1968) is a freelance television journalist, conference moderator, author and director of a media services company. Shiulie formerly worked for the BBC, ITN and Aljazeera. She moderates d ...
(1998–2006) *
Nina Hossain Nina Hossain is a British journalist and presenter employed by ITN as the lead presenter of the ''ITV Lunchtime News''. Background Hossain was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England to a Bangladeshi father and an English mother. Her fa ...
(2004–2019) *
Natasha Kaplinsky Natasha Margaret Kaplinsky (born 9 September 1972)The Donor, News and information for blood donors, Winter 2009, National Blood Service, England, page 55 is an English newsreader, TV presenter and journalist, best known for her roles as a st ...
(2011–2016) *
Martyn Lewis Sir Martyn John Dudley Lewis (born 7 April 1945) is a Welsh television news presenter and journalist. He was a presenter for BBC News television programmes between 1986 and 1999 and was known for his involvement in the coverage of the death o ...
(1980–1988) *
James Mates James Mates (born 11 August 1961) is an English newsreader and journalist, currently employed by ITN, where he presents on ITV News and is Europe Editor. Education and early career Mates was educated at Marlborough College, an independent sch ...
(2002–2018) *
Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian- British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN. McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism. Career ...
(1982–1990, 1999–2001) *
Lucy Meacock Lucy Meacock is an English journalist and presenter employed by ITV Granada. She has been one of the main female news presenters of ITV regional news programme, ''Granada Reports'' since 1988 and celebrated 30 years presenting the programme in N ...
(2007–2009) *
Dermot Murnaghan Dermot John Murnaghan (; born 26 December 1957) is a British broadcaster. A presenter for Sky News, he was a news presenter at CNBC Europe, Independent Television News and BBC News. He has presented news programmes in a variety of time slots ...
(1989–2002) * Bill Neely (2004–2008) * Michael Nicholson (1976–1986) * Lucy Owen (2004–2006) * Nicholas Owen (1990–2007) *
Leonard Parkin Leonard Parkin (2 June 1929 – 20 September 1993) was a British television journalist and newscaster who worked for both the BBC and ITN. Born in Thurnscoe, West Riding of Yorkshire, he was educated at Hemsworth Grammar School, Yorkshire. ...
(1976–1987) * Steve Scott (2005–2015) * Ranvir Singh (2014–2020) *
Julia Somerville Julia Mary Fownes Somerville, (born 14 July 1947) is an English television news reader and reporter who has worked for the BBC and ITN. Early life and education Somerville was born in Wells, Somerset, the granddaughter of Admiral of the Fleet ...
(1998–2000) *
Alastair Stewart Alastair James Stewart OBE (born 22 June 1952) is an English former journalist and newscaster. Formerly presenting for ITV News, he joined GB News as a presenter in 2021. He has won the Royal Television Society's News Presenter of the Year awa ...
(1986–1992, 2009–2020) *
John Suchet John Aleck Suchet ( ; born 29 March 1944) is an English author, television news journalist, and presenter of classical music on Classic FM. Suchet has two brothers, one of whom is the actor Sir David Suchet. Early life Suchet was born in Lon ...
(1991–2004) *
Geraint Vincent Geraint V. Vincent is a British journalist, currently employed by ITN as a Correspondent for '' ITV News''. Early life The son of the international relations scholar R J Vincent and Angela Vincent, Vincent and his family lived in Newcastle in S ...
(2006–2012, 2019) *
Kirsty Young Kirsty Jackson Young (born 23 November 1968) is a Scottish television and radio presenter. From 2006 to 2018 she was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's ''Desert Island Discs''. She presented ''Crimewatch'' on BBC One from 2008 to 2015. Early ...
(2000–2001)


References


External links

* * {{ITV News 1955 British television series debuts 1950s British television series 1960s British television series 1970s British television series 1980s British television series 1990s British television series 2000s British television series 2010s British television series 2020s British television series Flagship evening news shows ITN ITV news shows