# Despatch Box

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Despatch_Box
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Despatch_Box.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despatch_Box
> Source revision: 1345983858
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|BBC Television late night political analysis programme}}
{{For|the official parliamentary dispatch box|Despatch box}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = BBC News Despatch Box.jpg
| caption              = The final programme titles
| genre                = News
| creator              =
| presenter            = {{unbulleted list | [Zeinab Badawi](/source/Zeinab_Badawi) | [Michael Dobbs](/source/Michael_Dobbs) | [Andrew Neil](/source/Andrew_Neil) | [Steve Richards](/source/Steve_Richards) }}
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United Kingdom
| language             = English
| num_episodes         = 
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = 
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 
| company              = [BBC](/source/BBC)
| channel              = [BBC Two](/source/BBC_Two)
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1998|10|20|df=y}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|2002|12|20|df=y}}
| related              = {{Plainlist|
* ''The Midnight Hour''
* ''[This Week](/source/This_Week_(BBC_TV_series))''
}} 
}}

'''''Despatch Box''''' is a late night political analysis television programme produced by the [BBC](/source/BBC). It was broadcast on [BBC Two](/source/BBC_Two) between 20 October 1998 and 20 December 2002. The programme replaced the nightly political programme ''The Midnight Hour'', and like its predecessor, was initially presented by a team of single-presenter journalists, rotated nightly, consisting of [Zeinab Badawi](/source/Zeinab_Badawi), [Michael Dobbs](/source/Michael_Dobbs), [Andrew Neil](/source/Andrew_Neil) and [Steve Richards](/source/Steve_Richards). The programme regularly gained an audience of more than 350,000{{nbsp}}viewers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cozens|first=Claire|title=Fact file: ''Despatch Box''|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/sep/19/bbc.politicsandthemedia|work=[MediaGuardian](/source/MediaGuardian)|access-date=4 August 2013|date=19 September 2002}}</ref> Following a change of format, it was decided that the programme should have one, regular presenter, a role for which Andrew Neil was chosen. The programme was produced at the BBC's [Millbank](/source/Millbank) studios in [London](/source/London).

Following changes to sitting hours in the [United Kingdom parliament](/source/United_Kingdom_parliament), and extensive changes to the BBC's line-up of political programmes, ''Despatch Box'' was discontinued, and the programme's then regular presenter, Andrew Neil, moved on to present the ''[Daily Politics](/source/Daily_Politics)'' and ''[This Week](/source/This_Week_(2003_TV_programme))''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090220230716/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/andrew-neil-to-host-bbcs-despatch-box-replacement-603063.html Andrew Neil to host BBC's 'Despatch Box' replacement] Paul Waugh. The Independent. 2 November 2002</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|BBC}}
*''[Westminster Live](/source/Westminster_Live)''

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{BBC News}}

Category:BBC television news shows
Category:1998 British television series debuts
Category:2002 British television series endings
Category:1990s British political television series
Category:2000s British political television series
Category:English-language British television shows

{{BBC-tv-prog-stub}}

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