Career
Hoggart joined The Guardian in 1968, later becoming the American correspondent for The Observer, and occasional guest commentator on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday. Hoggart then became the parliamentary sketch writer for The Guardian in 1993. He also writes a wine column for The Spectator.
In the early 1980s he chaired the radio comedy show The News Quiz, returning to the show in 1996 for another ten years. In March 2006, Hoggart presented his last edition of The News Quiz commenting: "I'm getting a bit clapped out and jaded, and I think that's beginning to show."
In 1998 he was part of BBC Radio 4's 5-part political satire programme Cartoons, Lampoons, and Buffoons. He was also a contributor to the Grumpy Old Men and in the past has written for Punch magazine and an occasional column for New Humanist magazine (last entry May 2005). Hoggart was also an occasional celebrity panelist on BBC2's antiques quiz show Going, Going, Gone.
His published books to date form an eclectic list, including debunking the supernatural, anecdotes about Parliament, a biography, his thoughts about the United States, a serious political review, and collected Christmas round-robin letters.
When speculation appeared in the News of the World in December 2004 suggesting he was the "third man" in the Kimberly Quinn affair, Hoggart initially denied any involvement before issuing a statement admitting that he had an affair with Quinn before her marriage. The political sex scandal involving Quinn contributed to the resignation of David Blunkett from the Cabinet.
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