Watchdog upholds criticism of Paxman interview

The BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman has been criticised by the television watchdog for being "'overly intrusive" by asking the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy about his drinking habits.

Paxman apologised to Mr Kennedy and accepted that he asked "one question too many" when he interviewed the politician on Newsnight in July, shortly before the politician's wedding to Sarah Gurling.

He asked: "How much do you drink? Do you drink privately? By yourself, a bottle of whisky late at night?" Admitting he was a social drinker, Mr Kennedy rejected the suggestion that he drank too much. Paxman also pressed him on his motives for marriage.

Two viewers made complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Commission, which were upheld. It ruled that the "prolonged" questioning was intrusive and passed acceptable boundaries. In its submission, the BBC argued that it was legitimate to put the question of drinking to Mr Kennedy because it had been raised with programme-makers by other politicians during preparations for the interview. Raising the matter would give him a chance to rebut the claims, it said.

* The Press Complaints Commission protested yesterday that it was not a "cosy club" for newspaper editors as the watchdog resisted calls for its statutory regulation. It released a 279-page submissionto the Commons committee investigating the PCC's record.

Guy Black, the PCC director, said: "The Code Committee [which draws up the Press Code of Conduct] is not some form of cosy club that gets together and writes rules." He said that government interference would be unacceptable.