Clean-shaven Jeremy Paxman: 'Beards are so 2013'

Jeremy Paxman has started the New Year with a new clean-shaven look - claiming 'beards are so 2013'.

The Newsnight presenter caused a stir in August when he fronted the BBC Two current affairs programme sporting a full beard.

Speaking before last night's programme, the 63-year-old told the Radio Times: "If a chap can't shave on holiday, what can he do? Beards are so 2013."

Paxman's appearance drew a huge response when he grew the beard more than five months ago, when he branded the BBC pogonophobic - having a fear of beards.

At the time, he explained his reasons, saying: 'I have grown a beard for the last few summers, and suddenly wondered whether I really needed to shave it off to present Newsnight.

''Unless you're lucky enough to be Uncle Albert on Only Fools And Horses, Demis Roussos or Abu Hamza, the BBC is generally as pogonophobic as the late-lamented Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha.

''I may keep it or I may shave it off, but I think I'll make my own decision.''

He later said: "For a glorious few days I have been a poster boy for a shadowy group called the Beard Liberation Front, which claims that facial hair invites discrimination.

"I'm finding it quite a heavy burden."

The Beard Liberation Front has lamented the decision to go clean-shaven, saying: "We support people's right to dress and appear as they want so, while we regret Jeremy Paxman's decision to shave off his gravitas adding beard, the choice should be entirely up to him, BBC pogonophobia notwithstanding."

 

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.