Here are the Top 10 Most Accessed results for 2010.
INTERVIEWS
- Katie Piper, Mail on Sunday, Nikki Murfitt
- Chesley Sullenberger, Today BBC Radio 4
- Oscar Wrigley, Daily Mail, Julie Moult
- Ricky Gervais, Absolute Radio, Cristian O'Connell
- Richard Curtis, The Independent, Ian Burrell
- Simon Cowell, Daily Mail, Rebecca Hardy
- Gordon Brown, Daily Telegraph, Mary Riddell
- Chris Evans, The Times, Ben Hoyle
- Katie Price, ITV, Ant and Dec
- David Tennant, Sunday Times, Arabella Weir
SUBJECTS
- Katie Price
- Alistair Darling
- Natascha Kampusch
- Georgi Dochev
- Ricky Gervais
- Simon Cowell
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Rupert Penry-Jones
- Chesley Sullenberger
- Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean
SOURCES
- The Sun
- Absolute Radio
- Radio 4
- GMTV
- Daily Mail
- The Times
- The Independent
- The Guardian
- Vanity Fair
- Closer
INTERVIEWERS
- Ian Burell, The Independent
- Jim Naughtie, Today, Radio 4
- Cristian O'Connell, Absolute Radio
- Alison Smith-Squire, Daily Mail
- Emma Cox, The Sun
- Jenny Johnston, Daily Mail
- Robert Crampton, The Times
- Jon Wilde, Mail on Sunday
- Sam Wostear, The Sun
- Hannah Pool, The Guardian
The Access Interviews Awards 2009
To celebrate our first year, we proudly announce the winners of the inaugural Access Interviews Awards 2009.
Last year was a stand-out time for the interviewing business. In a digital media age that is rapidly eroding the most hallowed of journalistic skills – like newsgathering (citizen journalists) and comment (bloggers) – we are happy to report that the professional art of interviewing is in rude health.
No end of revelations have emerged from the good old fashioned one-on-one interrogation and these stories have been shamelessly followed up and regurgitated by the world’s media.
Interviewing is no easy business. Firstly, a journalist needs high level contacts and the patience of a Zen Buddhist to gain access, or a big appetite for swallowing pride. Then they (at least, the good ones) have to devote countless hours to careful research. This is followed by the delicate tap dance of the interview itself. Then there’s the abject boredom of listening to the entire conversation all over again while transcribing it. And all that graft is before you have even started writing. Then, of course, there is the whole different agony of seeing your excellent piece through to publication.
Here at Access Interviews, we know all about the pain and pleasure of interviewing. We say, give ALL these interviewing boys and girls a medal, but alas that is not possible. Our key gongs – the “Most Accessed Awards” - are calculated by the traffic generated on our website. Only the numbers matter with these categories, but we are also handing out a few special “industry” awards which have been selected by the AI editors in conjunction with suggestions from our readers.
With respect to the credit crunch, there are no prizes or even a black tie ‘n’ cheap white wine swigging party. Instead, we humbly bestow the honours here. Thank you for all your support in our first year.
Most Accessed Awards
Most Accessed Interviewer of the Year
Most Accessed Interview of the Year
- Henrietta Zuel by Matt Dickinson for The Times
- Jordan Belfort by Antonella Gambotta-Burke for Live magazine of the Mail on Sunday
- Georgina Baillie by Helen Weathers for the Daily Mail
Most Accessed Source of the Year
The A.I Editors' Awards
Most Inept Interviewer of the Year
A clear winner who stands beneath all others is the inimitable DJ Les Ross of BBC Radio West Midlands for his unforgettable brief encounter with writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli. This was a supreme master class in all the things you are not supposed to do as an interviewer. No preparation, no clear line of questioning, an attitude to totally piss off your subject. He kicked off with a curve ball: "Are you Asian British Scottish, or British Scottish Asian?". We don’t call him “Hap-Les” for nothing. You are a legend and we thank you for unravelling the great Kohli until he threw his tartan turban at you down the line.
Le Ventouse Award for Luvvieness
Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail for ‘The naked truth about Kate Winslet's pics’. We have loved Baz ever since we caught him smuggling a baby chimpanzee into the Mayfair Hotel for Michael Jackson in 1988. All these years on, Baz’s desire to please the stars remains undimmed.
Sporting more plugs than B&Q, his engaging spread for the Mail each Friday is unmissable. Baz also gets our bonus award - The Golden Tutu - for his outstanding services to that fine musical Billy Eliot. There are quite literally no lengths Baz has not gone to in support of this show (Australia, New York…).
But it is Baz’s interview with his pal Kate Winslet that showed award winning Ventousing. And he has emerged as something of a visionary, predicting Kate’s awards success. “I have seen both films - twice – [Revolutionary Road and The Reader] and they represent an actress at the height of her considerable powers. I predict both leading performances will be in line for Academy Awards and for Baftas. Ms Winslet should be up for a best actress Oscar for The Reader as well, but she can't be nominated in the same category twice - although she can in the case of the British Baftas.”
THE BLUB BIT: "I'm humbled (Ha! What's humble?) to be mentioned in such distinguished company. You know, a Bamiboy has to do what a Bamiboy has to do and if that includes having to - well, I CAN'T spell it out - then so be it. My mamma would be so proud of her bam big boy! With love."
From Baz Bamigboye... in New York.
Gone Native Award
Bizarre editor Gordon Smart of The Sun for "Kidnapped by Coldplay". We accept that a certain degree of chumminess is necessary to get the goods from an interview, but Gordon showed enough warmth to accelerate the melting of the ice cap while schmoozing with hack hating Chris Martin and his band mates (do the others have names?).
Gordon gushed and puffed until Coldplay fell down on his tape recorder. To prove he was well onside he donned a Coldplay stage outfit, drank their booze, used their cars, their jet, their LA hotel and even joined their football team. But it is his name-checking of the flunkies that brings him the Gone Native trophy: "I watched from the sound desk with the group’s tour manager, Franksy, PA Vicki and Arlene, who works for the management." We applaud Gordon's ligging abilities in securing this junket at (we hope) the record company's expense and for getting a centre spread out of a reportage preview to an interview. But it was all worth it because the resulting world exclusive interview produced a stunning revelatory line: "We miss X-Factor".
Reverse Ferret Award For Reconciliation
Ronan Keating. Back in 2006 Ronan gave an interview to Press Gazette in which he clearly outlined his relationship with Louis "Weirdo" Walsh:
"Now he's trying to make up with me because he wants Boyzone to get back together. He says in the papers, "Oh, Ronan and I shook hands and made up." I think it's hilarious and I'm telling you, man, it's fockin' bullshit. He's a total fockin' bullshitter. I haven't talked to the guy, haven't seen him, haven't heard from him. And I don't have any time for him, we are a million miles from each other."
In a reverse ferret that would make the South African Reconciliation Commission proud, the "brilliant" Boyzone reformed last year and Ronan and Louis gave countless interviews declaring their newfound love. Bless dem.Too Much Information Award
Chrissy “Commando” Iley for Helen Mirren in the Sunday Times magazine. “As I get up to go, she stops me and says, 'And thank you for the view.' I blush. I was jet-lagged, I had no clean underwear, so I'd gone without. I didn't think she'd notice. But she did. And she laughs, the minx.”
Most Brilliantly Unreliable Revelation
Felix Dennis to the talented Ginny Dougary for The Times . “I killed a man. I had a little meeting with him, pushed him over the edge of a cliff. Weren't 'ard.”
Wimbledon FC Route One Line of Questioning
“How many people have you slept with…Have you ever taken drugs?” Piers Morgan, GQ.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Cocking Up Interviews
Jonathan “Excuse me - insert A-list star name - please shut up while I talk for ten minutes in order to make a crap gag” Ross.
Long Awaited Confession of the Year
“Why I had to tell my kids I did drugs” by Piers Morgan when interviewed by the skillful Rebecca Hardy for the Daily Mail. We look forward to Piers’ next set of interviews to promote his new chat show, travel show, Britain’s Got Talent 3, where the only showbiz line left to thrill is yee olde favourite: “The day I nearly died.”
Unbelievably Good Interview of the Year
"I've finally found my soul mate" by "Francesca Williams" for Cosmopolitan. This interview with Scarlett Johansson was only bettered by the apology after Cosmo admitted the article had been somewhat embellished and that Scarlett had not actually granted the magazine an interview. Bravo!
Congratulations to everyone. Link your interviews to Access Interviews.com and reach a new world audience. Be READ