Who Am I?

My name is Ian Wylie and I am a London-based freelance journalist, TV specialist and exiled Geordie.

Not always with a fixed grin.

I write for a range of newspapers and magazines from The Guardian to The Sun and all points in between – both hard copy and online.

Until October 2009 I was the London Editor & TV Editor of the Manchester Evening News / MEN Media, based for the last 12 years in my west London home office after years in both Fleet Street and Farringdon Road.

I still cover TV for the MEN – both news and features – and represent them in London, as well as working for others.

I’ve written about television for the last 25 years, concentrating almost exclusively on it since 1997, interviewing hundreds of top stars along the way, including a poignant last interview with Jill Dando exactly a week before she was murdered.

I regularly interview cast members on the sets of Britain’s leading TV dramas, as well as interviews in London and elsewhere after their work is done.

Plus anyone from the latest young rising star to BBC Director General Mark Thompson via – to name a few – Spooks, Doc Martin, Shameless, Midsomer Murders, The X Factor, Dancing On Ice, Britain’s Got Talent and the cobbles of Coronation Street.

Recent interviews include, for example, 10 members of cast for Shameless 2012 – including former The Commitments star Angeline Bell, Stephen Lord and Kari Corbett – nine one-to-one interviews for series two of Scott and Bailey – including Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Lisa Riley, Sean Maguire, Nicholas Gleaves and Sally Wainwright – plus Douglas Hodge, Neil Stuke, Saskia Reeves, Georgina Campbell and Kellie Bright for BBC drama One Night.

I spent a week on set at Stern Studios in Budapest (June/July 2011) with the cast of Titanic – ITV1′s major drama series to be screened worldwide in 2012. Commissioned by ITV to write the global press pack, I was given the most access to filming, the incredible set, cast and production team compared to any other journalist. To date, I have completed 24 one-to-one interviews, including 16 principal cast members, writer Julian Fellowes and several key members of the production. This wealth of exclusive material is also available for outside commissions, embargoed until March 2012.

I also played the role of Man Trying To Hide Behind Church Pillar at the wedding of Tom Barnaby’s daughter Cully in Midsomer Murders.

And did much the same as one of just 28 reporters from all over the world invited into Westminster Abbey for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

They even sent me a slice of their wedding cake.

Check out, for example, my Ashes To Ashes and Life On Mars blogs for the sort of access I’m able to obtain, leading to thousands of features and news stories. (Note: The MEN moved earlier entries in these blogs from the Movable Type platform and the links / content of that earlier material may now be mashed)

The Life of Wylie blog started in the summer of 2006, when I took a fortnight out to report on the tennis at Wimbledon- an event I have covered ever since as an associate member of the Lawn Tennis Writers’ Association. (Note: Again, due to the MEN’s recent move from Movable Type, content may be mashed)

I wrote this for Press Gazette about my working week at SW19.

This blog has (June 2011) recorded over half a million page views since it was moved to the WordPress platform 18 months ago and has many loyal readers who spread my work across the web.

So TV has become my speciality. But that’s not the full story.

During my journalism career to date, I have been lucky enough to be present in the front row at many moments of history.

That includes being the lead reporter sat just a few metres away from Charles and Diana during their wedding at St Paul’s Catherdral and a similar role for Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.

As a member of the Parliamentary Press Lobby, I’ve covered several general election campaigns – I was standing opposite the door of No 10 when Tony Blair walked in for the first time as Prime Minister – and helped lead MEN Media coverage at Westminster of the MPs’ expenses scandal.

And, sadly, arrived very early at the hospital when, then, Labour leader John Smith died.

Not forgetting decades of covering all things Myra Hindley, London bombings from IRA to 7/7, many Old Bailey trials, starting with the Yorkshire Ripper, High Court cases, the Queen Mother’s funeral, George Best’s life and times, Eric Cantona’s seagulls and trawler, the World Darts Final and countless other highlights not involving giant trays of lager.

Now I am a freelance with contacts, interviews and access continuing exactly as before.

After a required legal break I am also supplying the MEN with copy again, along with many others, including The Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, Mirror, Sun, Express etc.

Still as fascinated by what I do as the day I started, with the added advantage of being able to use my skills across online, video and audio.

If you have come to this page as a result of a pitch I’ve made to you, thank you for reading this far.

If not – and you want to contact me - my email is:

ian DOT wylie AT btclick DOT com

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Most of my features from recent years are on the main MEN website – click here for those I posted online in 2009.

(This WordPress site includes an imported store of my Movable Type blog entries up to April 2009, but not yet those posted between then and October 2 2009. Imported entries before Oct 2009 are still to be edited to account for the different style of text and pics on Movable Type v WordPress)

Full pre-October 2009 archives (765 entries) of The Life of Wylie blog, including the period from April 29 to October 2 2009, are here.
(Note: Content mashed by MEN move from the original Movable Type home)

Ian Wylie’s Posterous

Manchester Evening News Main Site

The Life of Wylie on YouTube

@ianwylie on Twitter

Ian Wylie on Flickr

That City of London bench

In my spare time (after midnight) I also run: www.chiswicktennis.com