Hold The Front Page - Sky TV series puts West Sussex Gazette under the spotlight with comedians Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar

The oldest newspaper in the county, the West Sussex Gazette, makes headlines itself when it features in a new Sky series released this week (January 11, 2023).
By Gary Shipton
Published 9th Jan 2023, 18:50 BST
Updated 9th Jan 2023, 18:50 BST
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The West Sussex Gazette may be a grand old lady of 170 years but it is making headlines in a way the revered county broadsheet might never have imagined.

When it was founded in Arundel in 1853 it was committed to the spread of knowledge and information – as well as the railway timetable.

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This week, it became one of six regional titles across the UK to feature in a new Sky comedy series looking at how two hapless trainee journalists Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar learn the trade and battle it out to secure the front page lead.

Hold the Front Page - Nish Kumar and Josh Widdicombe continue their quest to become local newspaper journalists in West Sussex working on the county's oldest newspaper the West Sussex Gazette. Photo: Stuart WoodHold the Front Page - Nish Kumar and Josh Widdicombe continue their quest to become local newspaper journalists in West Sussex working on the county's oldest newspaper the West Sussex Gazette. Photo: Stuart Wood
Hold the Front Page - Nish Kumar and Josh Widdicombe continue their quest to become local newspaper journalists in West Sussex working on the county's oldest newspaper the West Sussex Gazette. Photo: Stuart Wood

You can see how they fare in Hold The Front Page on Sky Max and NOW.

I have overseen the WSG and its many sister titles for more than 30 years and freely admit that letting two comedians into the newsroom was no laughing matter.

But the team behind the production had an impressive TV pedigree. Producer Gavin Whitehead made Clarkson’s Farm and genuinely wanted to celebrate local communities across the UK in a post lockdown world.

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So we welcomed our two new reporters on the strict understanding that we were a professional operation and expected them to take it as seriously as any comedians could be expected to do so.

But I do believe that they really captured the spirit of the programme – to show off the glorious geography of West Sussex and the many characters who live here.

It’s a feelgood programme and as the WSG prepares to celebrate its 170th birthday in June we hope it will remind everyone of what a special county they live in and how fortunate we are to still have local newspapers that are trusted and stand up for the communities and the people they serve.

The WSG was founded in 1853 by Thomas Henry Mitchell, an Arundel local who wanted to give his son the opportunity to use his editorial skills and ambitions.

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You can read about the history of the West Sussex Gazette here: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/everything-you-need-to-know-about-oldest-newspaper-in-west-sussex-which-hosts-comedy-duo-nish-kumar-and-josh-widdicombe-in-new-sky-tv-series-3974698

There is a full interview with the comedians here: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/video-comedians-josh-widdicombe-and-nish-kumar-come-to-sussex-to-spend-week-as-trainee-journalists-on-local-newspaper-for-major-sky-tv-series-3974562

Related topics:West Sussex GazetteSkyArundel