Roger Cook (journalist)
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Roger Lou Belvedere Cook (born 6 April 1943) is a
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
-born British investigative
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and television broadcaster. In 1997, he won a
British Academy of Film & Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
(BAFTA) special
award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...
"for 25 years of outstanding quality investigative reporting", for his show ''
The Cook Report ''The Cook Report'' was a British ITV current affairs television programme presented by Roger Cook which was broadcast from 22 July 1987 to 24 August 1999. The series featured the journalist investigating corruption, criminals, government soc ...
''.


Early life

Cook's parents were New Zealanders, but he was brought up in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, and began his career with the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
as a reporter and newsreader on both radio and television. In 1968, Cook moved to the United Kingdom where he joined
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''
The World At One ''The World at One'', or ''WATO'' ("what-oh") for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, produced by BBC News, which is currently broadcast from 13:00 to 13:45 from Monday to Friday. The programme de ...
'' programme and subsequently worked on several other
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio and television programmes, including '' PM'', '' Nationwide'', and ''
Newsnight ''Newsnight'' (or ''BBC Newsnight'') is BBC Two's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30. and is also availa ...
''.


''Checkpoint''

In 1973, Cook created and presented the Radio 4 programme ''Checkpoint'', which specialised in investigating and exposing criminals, con-men, injustice and official incompetence, often confronting the subjects of the investigation on tape.Roger Cook on the dangers of investigative journalism
,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, 25 January 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2013 In 1979 Cook was threatened by
Don Arden Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman. He managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbath ...
when he started to look into the business practices of the notorious rock manager. In 1981, during a ''Checkpoint'' report for ''
Newsnight ''Newsnight'' (or ''BBC Newsnight'') is BBC Two's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30. and is also availa ...
'', Cook was filmed being violently assaulted with a metal bar by a
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
antique dealer An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
after he confronted the man about selling fake antiques; Cook suffered three cracked ribs in the assault.


''The Cook Report''

In 1985, Cook moved from the BBC to
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, and in 1987 launched a new TV series, ''
The Cook Report ''The Cook Report'' was a British ITV current affairs television programme presented by Roger Cook which was broadcast from 22 July 1987 to 24 August 1999. The series featured the journalist investigating corruption, criminals, government soc ...
''. This was a higher-budget version of his radio programme, with a large and dedicated research team, which enabled it to operate on an international scale. The show became known for its filmed 'stings' and for Cook's frequent confrontations with his targets, during which he (and sometimes the film crew) often suffered verbal and physical abuse. Cook was described in the British press as "nemesis in a leisure shirt", "a cross between Meatloaf and the Equaliser", "the bravest/most beaten-up journalist in Britain" and "The Taped Crusader". ''The Cook Report'' ran for 16 series until 1999, when it was cancelled by ITV Network Centre. In its 12 years on air, ''The Cook Report'' was the highest rated current affairs programme on British television, with audiences peaking at over 12 million. In 2007, the programme returned for a 90-minute special entitled ''Roger Cook's Greatest Hits'', in which Cook revisited and updated a number of his stories. Cook said in 2007 that he had received death threats as a result of the series.Roger Reveals Death Threats
, ''
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'', 30 October 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2013 The programme and its production team won 11 national and international awards, culminating in a
British Academy of Film & Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
(BAFTA) special award for Cook in 1997 "for 25 years of outstanding quality investigative reporting".


Other activities

Cook has published several books, including an
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''Dangerous Ground''. In October 2011 he released a revised and updated autobiography, ''More Dangerous Ground''. Cook also holds an
Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
Visiting Professorship at the Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism at
Nottingham Trent University Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as a new university in 1992, although its roots go back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design, w ...
and was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University in 2004.


Parodies

Cook has been parodied by comedians including
Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...
and
Reeves and Mortimer Reeves may refer to: People * Reeves (surname) * B. Reeves Eason (1886–1956), American director, actor and screenwriter * Reeves Nelson (born 1991), American basketball player Places ;Ireland * Reeves, County Kildare, townland in County ...
. In the 1980s, his ''Checkpoint'' series was the inspiration for a sitcom,
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''
Delve Special ''Delve Special'' was a UK BBC Radio 4 comedy starring Stephen Fry as investigative reporter David Lander. It ran for four series from 1984 to 1987, each series being four 30-minute episodes long. It was written by Tony Sarchet and produced b ...
'', where investigative journalist David Lander, played by
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
, doorstepped many fictional villains. When Cook's investigations moved to television, the parody followed, in
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's ''
This is David Lander ''This is David Lander'' is a TV show that parodies Roger Cook style doorstepping investigative journalism shows, starring Stephen Fry as David Lander and written by Tony Sarchet. It began as the BBC Radio 4 show '' Delve Special'', which bec ...
'', with
Tony Slattery Tony Declan James Slattery (born 9 November 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' His ...
later taking over the central role in the show. Many of Lander and Harper's investigations were based on reports made by Cook, ''
Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...
'' and ''World in Action''. A puppet version of Cook also appeared several times in the satirical series ''
Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ov ...
''. In one sketch, Cook's puppet double goes to the
Pearly Gates ''Pearly gates'' is an informal name for the gateway to Heaven according to some Christian denominations. It is inspired by the description of the New Jerusalem in : "The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate being made from a single pearl ...
and confronts God as if he were a crooked
estate agent An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged i ...
who promised land to the
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, only to offer the same land to the
Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
under the name of
Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
. Viz comic also did a parody with "Roger Mellie, The Man on the Telly" appearing in a comic version of the show entitled ''The Crook Report''. In ''
I'm Alan Partridge ''I'm Alan Partridge'' is a British sitcom written by Steve Coogan, Peter Baynham and Armando Iannucci. Coogan stars as Alan Partridge, a tactless and inept radio DJ and television presenter who has been left by his wife and dropped from the BB ...
'', the protagonist proposed a slapstick version of ''The Cook Report'' called "Alan Attack!"


Personal life

Cook has been married twice, first for five years whilst he was living in Australia. He married his second wife, Frances, in 1983; they had one daughter, born in 1985.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Roger 1943 births Living people Academics of Nottingham Trent University New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom New Zealand journalists Undercover journalists New Zealand emigrants to Australia Australian emigrants to England Australian journalists New Zealand radio journalists Australian radio journalists New Zealand television journalists Australian television journalists BAFTA winners (people)