‘News raider’ Paul Yarrow has notched up 100 TV appearances on news programmes this year, in a bid to raise the profile of bald, fat men everywhere.
Yarrow has appeared sceptre-like in the background of news programmes on BBC1, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News and the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network.
The so-called ‘News Raider’ sprung into public consciousness when a website picked up on the uncanny number of times he popped up behind newsreaders on almost every TV network.
The magnificently ordinary Mr. Yarrow sometimes reads the paper, sometimes makes a phone call and often just stands. His outfit – a beige jumper – rarely changes and nor does his expression.
So who is Paul Yarrow, a.k.a the ‘news Raider’?
Yarrow is a man with a mission – catapulting himself into the limelight to highlight the plight of ordinary-looking men.
The News Raider argues that there are too many beautiful people on television.
“It’s a serious issue and I’m trying to make a statement: ‘Be who you are.’ I’m just a common person in the street,” Yarrow told the Daily Mail.
“People say we live in a fairer, more understanding society these days, but elderly and overweight people still get pushed aside. The camera crews try to move me out of the way but I’m a human being.”
Yarrow is a carer who lives on a council estate and in 2008 won the South London Press Good Samaritan of the Year Award for his local community work.
Rock on Paul Yarrow.
