# Brendon Parsons

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British newspaper editor

**Brendon Parsons** is a former [British](/source/British_people) national [newspaper editor](/source/Newspaper_editor).

He edited both The People and The Sunday Mirror titles after six years as deputy editor of the Daily Mirror, the last two alongside [Piers Morgan](/source/Piers_Morgan).

## Career

### Early career

Parsons was trained at The Wimborne and Ferndown Journal in Dorset, moved to the Portsmouths News and Fleet Street News Agency in London before joining the Brighton Evening Argus in 1977, where he became crime reporter. He won the regional Senior Journalist of the Year Award at the age of 21 and rose to become assistant chief sub-editor before leaving newspapers to read law at Sussex University. Tempted back into newspapers by becoming the first journalist hired in two years at the Daily Mirror in mid 80s at a time when the paper was considered "the mink lined coffin" - so highly regarded and so well paid that no-one ever left.

### Today

Parsons left two years later when headhunted by Today newspaper, the first ever colour newspaper. As chief sub-editor on *[Today](/source/Today_(UK_newspaper))* during the late 1980s, he more than coped with a general shortage of trained subs in the industry[1] and aided the achievement of Newspaper of The Year under editorship of David Montgomery. Many of Parsons' subs went on to senior positions on other papers including Daily Mail and The Sun. Today suffered in cutbacks and became part of the Murdoch operation at Wapping. Under editor Martin Dunn Parsons became Features Editor at Today, which he later described as his most difficult role in Fleet Street, though he managed to outfox most of the paper's competitors, with the exception of a young pop columnist named Piers Morgan, who visited from the adjoining office of The Sun and stood over a video copying machine, refusing to be distracted and preventing Parsons from bagging the exclusive new Wham release for Today exclusively.

### Mirror Group senior roles

He returned to Mirror Group as head of production on Sunday Mirror under Colin Myler before moving to Daily Mirror as night editor and then deputy editor. Two years with Piers Morgan saw the paper regain much of its former regard within industry, breaking many scoops with highlights such as Parsons legendary return to UK of the 1996 World Cup football (front page showed ball being kissed by Geoff Hurst under heading It's His Now, a ref to iconic commentary at end of win over Germany as Hurst scored third goal: "They think it's all over..it is now".) The pair almost lost their jobs over the infamous front Page "Achtung Surrender" which declared "football war" on Germany during the 1996 European Cup. Fortunately for them, the German captain [Jürgen Klinsmann](/source/J%C3%BCrgen_Klinsmann) saw the funny side. Parsons served as judge in the industry newspaper awards in 1996.

At the start of 1997, Parsons was editor of *[The People](/source/Sunday_People)*, when he moved to become editor of the *[Sunday Mirror](/source/Sunday_Mirror)*.[2] He subsequently became deputy editor of the *[Daily Mirror](/source/Daily_Mirror)*, in which role he introduced the Mandy Capp cartoon, derived from its existing [Andy Capp](/source/Andy_Capp) strip.[3]

In December 1997, Parsons was due to move posts again, being re-appointed as editor of *[The People](/source/The_Sunday_People)*.[4] However, he was soon granted compassionate leave, and six months later his *Sunday Mirror* role was given to former editor [Colin Myler](/source/Colin_Myler).[5] In 2000, Parsons stepped in to run Worldsport.com during its final months, while [Alan Callan](/source/Alan_Callan) was unwell.[6]

## Retirement

He retired to Lewes in East Sussex, where he recovered from a long spell in hospital. A divorcee, he re-married in 2009. He continues to engage with community, providing stories to local media and founding charity regatta on the River Ouse, for which he was named Lewes Man of the Year in 2016. He is Chairman of Lewes Rowing Club.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Roy Greenslade](/source/Roy_Greenslade), "[Subbing shortages? Those were the days...](https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2010/aug/23/newspapers-editors)", *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*, 23 August 2010

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "[Hotline](http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/26807/HOTLINE/)", *[PR Week](/source/PR_Week)*, 23 January 1997

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Paul Slade, "[Andy Capp: continued](http://www.planetslade.com/andy-capp-reg-smythe12.html)", PlanetSlade

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "[Appointment Briefs](http://mediatel.co.uk/newsline/1997/12/11/appointment-briefs/)", *MediaTel*, 11 December 1997

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Sophie Barker, "[Media: In Brief - Myler will head Sunday Mirror](http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/97082/MEDIA-Brief---Myler-will-head-Sunday-Mirror/)", *[PR Week](/source/PR_Week)*, 18 September 1998

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Amy Vickers, "[Worldsport closed](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/sep/28/newmedia)", *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*, 28 September 2000

Media offices Preceded by Bridget Rowe Editor of The People 1996–1997 Succeeded by Len Gould Preceded by Bridget Rowe Editor of the Sunday Mirror 1997 Succeeded by Colin Myler Preceded by Paul Connew? Deputy Editor of the Daily Mirror 1997–1998 Succeeded by Tina Weaver

v t e Editors of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday Pictorial Daily Mirror 1903: Mary Howarth 1904: Hamilton Fyfe 1907: Alexander Kenealy 1915: Ed Flynn 1916: Alexander Campbell 1931: Leigh Brownlee 1934: Cecil Thomas 1948: Silvester Bolam 1953: Jack Nener 1961: Lee Howard 1971: Tony Miles 1974: Michael Christiansen 1975: Mike Molloy 1985: Richard Stott 1990: Roy Greenslade 1991: Richard Stott 1992: David Banks 1994: Colin Myler 1995: Piers Morgan 2004: Richard Wallace 2012: Peter Willis 2018: Alison Phillips 2024: Caroline Waterston 2025 to date: Chloe Hubbard Sunday Pictorial 1915: F. R. Sanderson 1921: William McWhirter 1924: David Grant 1928: William McWhirter 1929: David Grant 1938: Hugh Cudlipp 1940: Stuart Campbell 1946: Hugh Cudlipp 1949: Philip Zec 1952: Hugh Cudlipp 1953: Colin Valdar 1959: Lee Howard 1961: Reg Payne Sunday Mirror 1963: Michael Christiansen 1972: Bob Edwards 1984: Peter Thompson 1986: Mike Molloy 1988: Eve Pollard 1991: Bridget Rowe 1992: Colin Myler 1994: Paul Connew 1995: Tessa Hilton 1996: Amanda Platell 1997: Bridget Rowe 1998: Brendon Parsons 1998: Colin Myler 2001: Tina Weaver 2012: Alison Phillips 2016: Gary Jones 2018: Peter Willis 2020: Paul Henderson 2021: Gemma Aldridge 2024: Caroline Waterston 2025 to date: Chloe Hubbard

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brendon Parsons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendon_Parsons) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendon_Parsons?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.