After a long long hiatus, I made time for BBC World News. Lucy Hockings lit up the screen as she presented Impact - a show riddled with in-depth coverage of the latest news events.
Lucy knows exactly what to say to keep you interested in the proceedings. Naturally then, your attention hardly swerves away from any topic she starts to talk about.
This particular evening, the panels behind her joined in the conversation. The panels were bright and alive with hues of orange - the prime colour of the sets for Impact. They sprung out pictures in vivid detail and shades of the most alluring reds, yellows and browns. And together with Lucy, they spruced up the spirit of the show.
Those were new panels for sure. The last time I watched that show, its panels had on a night gown painted in red and grey. The presenter's desk all but slept in its yawning design. And the presenter - Lucy Hockings herself - was trying her best to look away from anything that could put her to sleep.
This evening though, none of that was on display.
Lucy sprang from one topic to the other with the grace of a gazelle. She put on the best of smiles as she spoke of the Longitude prize and put it aside for a sombre stoic expression when she had to talk about children being abandoned in state-run homes in China.
Her voice skillfully toned itself to be in tune with the seriousness of the news. It was cheerful if the news item allowed it to be. It was full of sincere regret when wars had to be described. It adjusted itself to sound subtly melancholic when news about the Balkan floods drowned the screen. It mirrored the profound dejection of the South Korean President who cried as she read out the names of the passengers lost in a ferry disaster. And it had an adequate amount of relief in it as Lucy spoke of how China had rescued its countrymen from violence-stricken Vietnam.
Thus she went on and never even for a moment did she show any signs of fatigue. Once she finished all that she had to talk and report about, Lucy wrapped it up like a true professional: She smiled, thanked us for joining in, and hoped to see us again.
Well, I hope to see her again as well. Anyone worth their intellect will want to: Lucy has style, a whole lot of substance, and an unmissable charm that she and she alone can personify.
For such a presenter, I'll definitely make time. And, I think, so will you! :-)
Lucy knows exactly what to say to keep you interested in the proceedings. Naturally then, your attention hardly swerves away from any topic she starts to talk about.
This particular evening, the panels behind her joined in the conversation. The panels were bright and alive with hues of orange - the prime colour of the sets for Impact. They sprung out pictures in vivid detail and shades of the most alluring reds, yellows and browns. And together with Lucy, they spruced up the spirit of the show.
Those were new panels for sure. The last time I watched that show, its panels had on a night gown painted in red and grey. The presenter's desk all but slept in its yawning design. And the presenter - Lucy Hockings herself - was trying her best to look away from anything that could put her to sleep.
This evening though, none of that was on display.
Lucy sprang from one topic to the other with the grace of a gazelle. She put on the best of smiles as she spoke of the Longitude prize and put it aside for a sombre stoic expression when she had to talk about children being abandoned in state-run homes in China.
Her voice skillfully toned itself to be in tune with the seriousness of the news. It was cheerful if the news item allowed it to be. It was full of sincere regret when wars had to be described. It adjusted itself to sound subtly melancholic when news about the Balkan floods drowned the screen. It mirrored the profound dejection of the South Korean President who cried as she read out the names of the passengers lost in a ferry disaster. And it had an adequate amount of relief in it as Lucy spoke of how China had rescued its countrymen from violence-stricken Vietnam.
Thus she went on and never even for a moment did she show any signs of fatigue. Once she finished all that she had to talk and report about, Lucy wrapped it up like a true professional: She smiled, thanked us for joining in, and hoped to see us again.
Well, I hope to see her again as well. Anyone worth their intellect will want to: Lucy has style, a whole lot of substance, and an unmissable charm that she and she alone can personify.
For such a presenter, I'll definitely make time. And, I think, so will you! :-)
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