Paxman: Kennedy interview 'legitimate'

BBC presenter Jeremy Paxman today mounted a fresh defence over claims that he "bullied" Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy by quizzing him about his drink habits and sex life in a Newsnight interview.

Paxman, whose questioning brought condemnation from senior politicians, said his approach was " legitimate" - despite issuing an earlier apology following last week's Newsnight broadcast.

He wrote to the Guardian after columnist Polly Toynbee claimed he had used "shock jock" tactics in the interview to "spice it up".

Mr Kennedy was asked whether he drank up to a bottle of whisky a night and was also questioned about his motives for marrying.

In the letter, Paxman defended "snap judgments" made during live broadcasting, saying: "My firm belief is that a politician's private life is entirely their own affair.

"Charles Kennedy and his bride-to-be had made precisely that choice by giving interviews on the subject. It therefore became a legitimate (and very brief) subject of conversation."