'It's great to be part of a team that has such a strong vision' - Miriam Cates on joining GB News
Miriam Cates reveals her best moment so far at GB News.
GB News/ UK Parliament
What does your typical day at GB News look like?
If I'm presenting Good Afternoon Britain, I start the day reading through the newspapers, looking for stories that would work well on the programme and chatting with the rest of the team about what guests we could invite onto the show. Then I head into the studio and start researching the topics in detail, and of course head into hair and make-up, which is vitally important! About half an hour before the show starts, it's time to get mic-ed up, and check that the earpieces are working so the presenters can hear the directors and producers and vice-versa. Then we pop into the studio for the 'tease', where we chat to the Britain's Newsroom presenters about what's coming up on the show. Then it's time for one last check through the running order of the programme and we're back in the studio to go live. Good Afternoon Britain is a three-hour show and I always find the first half an hour goes quite slowly, but then it rushes by. The tricky thing is trying to make sure each segment runs to time because many of our guests have lots of interesting things to say and it can be hard to interrupt! After the show we debrief and I might have meetings or head home, depending on the day.
Please can you tell us an interesting fact/story about yourself?
I went to Cambridge University to study science and everyone always asks if I was involved in student politics, but I wasn't at all. In fact, I became a very keen rower, getting up at 5am several times a week before lectures for training on the River Cam. In my final year I played women's rugby.
What has been your best moment so far at GB News?
Covering the American Election on the day of Trump's victory was a real highlight. The result was a real shock to the mainstream media so it was fascinating to be able to interview pundits on both sides of the Atlantic and look at what a Trump/Vance presidency could mean for the UK.
Miriam Cates presenting on GB News with Ben Leo.
GB News
What do you think are the biggest stories of the year so far?
The UK and US elections have probably had the most coverage, but I think the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are probably going to be the most important in the long term. I don't think many of us have realised just how weak our armed forces have become and the kind of threats that we face in the world. It was interesting that Rishi Sunak's plan to get more young people to join the army - something that we desperately need - was dismissed as an unnecessary gimmick by so many. I think we need to wake up.
What do you like about working at GB News/why did you join GB News?
Working at GB News is great fun. It's fast moving but relaxed, and everyone is really friendly. After working in politics it's great to be part of a team that has such a strong vision. It's also a great opportunity to learn new skills - presenting live TV is not like any other job I've done! Although I have become used to being interviewed as a politician, it's much more challenging being the person asking the questions!
Why do you think GB News is important to the British media landscape?
The mainstream media in the UK has become so detached from the kind of views and interests of many people in the UK. Although quite a few of the newspapers are courageous enough to cover the main stories from a common sense perspective, broadcast media seems much more stuck in a liberal bubble. The coverage of the US election was a case in point - all of the other channels struggled to contain their shock and annoyance about the Trump victory because they just didn't understand why Americans would vote for him. But at GB News, where we regularly speak to ordinary people who care about economic security, immigration and challenging woke culture, it was no surprise to us. Our ratings were very high that week - I think lots of people switched over from other channels because of the relentless anti Trump narrative. It's important in a democracy to have a wide range of views represented in public - we wouldn't have that if we didn't have GB News.
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