Story: Holmes, Paul Scott

The man behind the news

A print advertisement from the New Zealand Listener, with a photograph of Holmes looking provocatively over his shoulder at the viewer. The text reads: ‘The man behind the news. Love him or hate him, you just can’t ignore him. He asks the most famous people the most awkward questions, digs where others just scratch the surface and you never quite know what he'll turn up. That’s his job. And no-one loves their job more than Paul Holmes.’

As this October 1989 advertisement suggests, Television New Zealand embraced Paul Holmes’ reputation as a pugnacious and sometimes controversial host who sparked strong reactions from his audience. 

Print the full story
Print the full story
Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: New Zealand Listener, 30 October 1989. Reproduced courtesy of Are Media.
by Saatchi and Saatchi

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

How to cite this page:

Tim Shoebridge. 'Holmes, Paul Scott', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2022. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/6h15/holmes-paul-scott (accessed 20 April 2024)