In 2022, Laura Kuenssberg, 47, stepped down as the BBC’s political editor, a position she held for seven years. Later that year, she replaced Andrew Marr as the face of Sunday morning politics on her own weekly live show, Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg. She also presented State of Chaos, a three-part documentary about British politics since the Brexit vote.
I would have thought you’d be too busy to watch TV.
There’s always time to watch TV. Even if you’re busy, you need to wind down doing something, don’t you? I’m obsessed with TV. I love being in an edit. I love using sound and pictures. It’s really exciting.
Live TV must be a different beast, though?
It is and it isn’t. TV still has the power to create, deliberately or by chance, these incredible moments. It might be a moment in an interview, where you’re like, “I can’t believe they said that.” Or it might be a really incredible scene in a drama, or it might be the first twist in the first season of The Traitors, where she kicks two of them out within five minutes, and you’re like, “Oh my God.” TV can do that in a way nothing else can.
Which TV show gripped you the most?
I loved The Diplomat. It was a bit cheesy around the edges and not that realistic, but I really, really liked it.
Any interviews that you envied?
Oh, tons. Tom Bradby’s interview with Prince Harry was great, and obviously it made huge amounts of news. It happens all the time! You’re like, “Damn, they got there.”
Who would play you on TV?
I played me in Bodyguard. I had a cameo, and we had this whole day filming with Jed Mercurio, which was very exciting. But who would play me? Would it be a comedy or a thriller or a drama? Just because I always think that she looks really fun and she’s amazing, let’s say Cameron Diaz – if she could do a soft Scottish accent.
Which TV show are you most excited to see return?
I wish they’d make some more of The Big Bang Theory because that would make my family really happy. I want there to be another season of Designated Survivor. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time.
What’s your comfort watch?
I tend to have one on the go at any one time, and watch it late at night. I’ve been watching Avoidance, the quiet little comedy by Romesh Ranganathan. The West Wing, obviously. Like everybody who works in politics, we tragically imagine that we are as glamorous as the American political establishment, which is also not as glamorous as The West Wing, because The West Wing isn’t real.
What recent news story would you turn into a drama?
Navalny. The Storyville documentary is absolutely incredible. There is a group of these Russian women who will not be silenced. Evgenia Kara‑Murza, and also the journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who stood up with the sign [denouncing Russian propaganda on live TV], we’ve had them on the programme, and Marina Litvinenko, who I spoke to recently. There’s something particular about their determination and empathy, and it’s absolutely awe-inspiring. I was thinking the other day, you could make a documentary with them, as a group.
• The Bafta television awards with P&O Cruises will be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday 12 May.
