Simon Hoggart (born 26 May 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was educated at Hymer's College in Hull, Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester, and King's College, Cambridge.

He joined The Guardian in 1968, later becoming the American correspondent for The Observer and parliamentary sketch writer for The Guardian in 1993. He also writes a wine column for The Spectator, occasional columns for the New Humanist magazine, and in 1996 he returned to chairing the radio comedy show The News Quiz, having previously done so in the early 1980s, before his spell in North America. He is also a regular contributor to Grumpy Old Men and in the past has written for Punch magazine. His books are an eclectic combination of debunking the supernatural, anecdotes about Parliament, a biography, his thoughts about the United States, a serious political review, and a collection of Christmas round robin letters, with his current work in progress a second collection.

He is the son of the sociologist Richard Hoggart and the brother of The Times television critic Paul Hoggart . His wife, Alison, is a psychotherapist.

His affair with Kimberly Quinn was reported soon after her affair with David Blunkett.

Quotes

• Quotations which belong in the ODQ [1]
  • Peter Mandelson is the only man I know who can skulk in broad daylight.
  • Reagan is the only man to take the presidency as a part-time job, a means of filling up the otherwise empty hours.
  • Seeing John Major govern the country is like watching Edward Scissorhands try to make balloon animals.

• Other quotes
  • I'm often amazed at the way politicians – who spend hours poring over opinion poll results in a desperate attempt to discover what the public thinks – are certain they know precisely what God's views are on everything.

Bibliography

Books

• The Cat That Could Open the Fridge: A Curmudgeon's Guide to Christmas Round Robin Letters (2004) ISBN 1843543575
• Punchlines: A Crash Course in English with John Prescott (2003) ISBN 0743483979 the Prescottese language
• Playing to the Gallery (2002) ISBN 1903809665 Parliament sketches
• Live Briefs by Simon Hoggart, Steve Bell (1996) ISBN 0413709701 Parliament sketches with the Guardian political cartoonist
• House of Correction (1995) ISBN 0860519988 Parliament sketches
• Bizarre Beliefs by Simon Hoggart, Michael Hutchinson (1995) ISBN 1860660215 the human desire to believe the unbelievable
• America: a User's Guide (1991) ISBN 0002158817 his experiences living in the USA
• House of Cards (1988) ISBN 0241124514 Parliament sketches
• Back on the House (1982) ISBN 0330281488 Parliament sketches
• On the House (1982) ISBN 033026883X Parliament sketches
• Michael Foot: a Portrait by Simon Hoggart, David Leigh (1981) ISBN 0340270403 biography of Michael Foot
• The Pact: The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977-78 by Simon Hoggart, Alistair Michie (1978) ISBN 0704321939

Audiobooks

• The News Quiz: First 25 Years (BBC Radio Collection) (2003) ISBN 0563494026
• Simon Hoggart's Pick of "The News Quiz": Vol 2 (2002) ISBN 0563529237
• Simon Hoggart's Pick of "The News Quiz": Vol 1 (2000) ISBN 563477628

External links

• Simon Hoggart's columns in The Guardian with archives
• Simon Hoggart's Parliamentary Sketches in The Guardian with archives
• Simon Hoggart's column in The New Humanist with archives
• BBC - The News Quiz
• Open Directory Project - Simon Hoggart directory category
• BBC Radio 4 - Simon Hoggart presenter biography