UTV's Paul Clark marks half a century reporting in Northern Ireland

From the darkest days of the Troubles through to peace, global events and the view from Stormont, UTV's Paul Clark has reported on it all.

This month marks the broadcaster's 50 years in journalism.

"It is a tremendous privilege to be able to do the job that I do," says Paul.

"To be sitting in so many people’s homes at 6pm and I can never ever take that for granted. So, I’m always on edge for that reason and I don’t think I can ever go into the studio and think that because I’ve done it for such a long time that I can do it almost with my eyes closed, I cannot."

In a special extended digital interview Paul and UTV journalist Tori Watson discuss his long career, being welcomed into the homes of hundreds of thousands of people to deliver the day's news and becoming one of Northern Ireland's most recognisable faces.

"I’m a news junkie in a sense, it’s never a standing start. News is a continuum it's always there, every day is always a development of what has happened the previous day," explains Paul.

"It really does come naturally. I'm not saying it comes easy, but it does come naturally because I’m on top of the things that are happening and there are always twists and turns every single day.

"I am always curious about the twists and turns that there are in our society and particularly whenever it comes to politics at the moment."

Despite his five decades reporting on events in Northern Ireland and across the world, Paul still admits that he feels an adrenaline rush when the studio lights are switched on.

"There is comfort in the discomfort," he says.

"The time that I don’t feel that adrenaline rush or the tummy churning I feel it would be time to stop. So that initial adrenaline rush passes by then you can settle down and you can enjoy it and I still do."

In the extended interview Paul talks at length about how he broke into journalism, his desire to be a disc jockey as well as the support, and flexibility, he has had from his family that has enabled him to dedicate his time to his career with his UTV family.

He explains that in the early years of his career he never wanted to be a journalist but thought it would be a way to realise his ambition to be a disc jockey, however he eventually found DJing to be "boring" compared to journalism.

"I didn’t have a grand plan, I just wanted to get into radio," Paul says.

"That was the beginning of my training as a journalist but one year after the job, or one year after the training, I realised very quickly that this is fun."

He also speaks of his faith and how, without it, he would have struggled to cope.

"Everyday, genuinely, everyday it is a new adventure, everyday is almost like a blank sheet and you don’t know where it’s going to end up because that is the nature of news, but I just love that uncertainty," Paul explains.

"I remember Omagh, Enniskillen, Kingsmills - events like that over the years, and I take no delight in that. That's the nature of the job we do and I’m not the only one. That’s the job that we all do as journalists."

Paul worked for a period of time at BBC Radio 4 in London, but felt the pull to return to Belfast.

"It really didn’t hit me hard until I came to UTV. And I realise whenever I came to UTV – this is definitely it, this is where I should be and I felt it then and I still feel it now," he says.

"So I didn’t make London – there were other people in Northern Ireland who did – and I would never deny them that – I would wish them well and I’ve told them that to their face.

"And I don’t feel I missed anything by not being in London but I’m sure I’ve gained so, so much more by doing the job that I do now and by being the person I am here."

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