You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 75.101.128.0/17 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪JJMC89‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider or colocation provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts and colocation providers may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host or colocation provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a colocation provider's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a colocation web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host or colocation provider (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host or colocation provider.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and requests should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 05:39, 2 October 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Jon Kolbert‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected .
- Start of block: 05:40, 21 February 2024
- Expiry of block: 05:40, 21 February 2029
Your current IP address is 75.101.254.2. The blocked range is 75.101.128.0/17. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Newsbunny.jpg|frame|[[L!ve TV]]'s mascot ''News Bunny'' pictured driving an outside broadcast van towards the stations Headquarters, [[One Canada Square]] in [[Canary Wharf]] ]] -->
'''News Bunny''' was station mascot of the short-lived UK TV Station [[L!VE TV]], under its publicity-seeking boss [[Kelvin MacKenzie]].

== Role ==

During news bulletins an extra dressed as a giant rabbit would stand behind the news presenter, and mime actions related to the news. For example, good news would be greeted with an enthusiastic thumbs up, while during bad news the bunny would hang his head and look sad.

Up until this point almost all UK TV news was presented in a serious manner; the News Bunny helped pave the way for subsequent more relaxed approaches to news presentation, as demonstrated on [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] and ''[[The Big Breakfast]]''. The impact of News Bunny has been the subject of academic research.<ref>Lachlan, S "Who's Afraid of the News Bunny?: the changing face of evening news broadcasts", [[Loughborough University]] Working Paper Number 3, 1999</ref> The Bunny was intended to appeal to the station's target audience of young people, particularly young men, and was part of McKenzie's populist stable of programmes (see [[L!VE TV]] entry for details).

== History ==

News Bunny first appeared in January 1996, and was played by various people, usually the station's news producers and researchers. Depending on who was available at the time, various other [[L!VE TV]] staff were also called upon to don the famous suit in "one off" appearances, including [[Richard Bacon (television presenter)|Richard Bacon]], later to become a BBC TV ''[[Blue Peter]]'' presenter, and [[Nick Ferrari]], a previous editor of The Sun's "Bizarre" column.  This was documented in the book "L!VE TV - Tellybrats and Topless Darts".

Despite the channel's poor ratings News Bunny became a national cult figure, attracting much tabloid and other media interest, and being mentioned in Parliament.<ref>((cite web | url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199596/ldhansrd/vo960213/text/60213-13.htm | title=Lords Hansard text for 13 Feb 1996 | work=[[Lords Hansard]] | accessdate=May 19, 2015))</ref>
Aside from his studio appearances, News Bunny regularly appeared alongside politicians, pop stars and royalty, many of whom would have preferred to avoid him. These appearances usually occurred during outside broadcasts and publicity stunts. The Bunny gate-crashed an official visit by [[Michael Heseltine]] to [[Canary Wharf]] in 1996, and famously secured 8 seconds with [[Tony Blair]].

News Bunny also appeared in the 1997 BBC comedy drama ''Gobble'', a satire on recent food poisoning crises, written by [[Ian Hislop]]. During the course of the drama, News Bunny performed [[Nazi salute]]s at a mention of the German agricultural minister and was ultimately punched by the protagonist.<ref>((cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/television-review-1279208.html |title=Television Review - Life and Style - the Independent |website=www.independent.co.uk |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520121734/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/television-review-1279208.html |archive-date=20 May 2015 |url-status=dead))</ref>

News Bunny also stood for Parliament representing the "L!VE TV Party" in the [[1996 South East Staffordshire by-election]], polling 85 votes (0.2%) to finish 9th of 13 candidates.<ref name="Demon">((cite web|url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1992.html|title=Results of Byelections in the 1992-97 Parliament|last=Boothroyd|first=David|access-date=24 July 2023|website=United Kingdom Election Results|archive-date=2017-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720031954/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1992.html|url-status=dead))</ref> In order to do this, Mirror Group employee Ashley Hames had to change his name to "News Bunny" for the purposes of the election. According to an apocryphal story circulating among journalists at the time, during the campaign a stunt went wrong and the hapless hack was arrested for obstruction. As there was a police case pending against him, he was unable to change his name back for some time and had to live as "Mr N. Bunny" for weeks longer than he had expected.<ref>((cite web | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ashley-hames/by-election-news-bunnys-byelection-me_b_2151889.html| title=Ashley Hames in Huffington Post | work=[[Huffington Post]] | date=18 November 2012 | accessdate=May 30, 2021))</ref> According to Hames, Kelvin McKenzie proclaimed the arrest of News Bunny on camera as, "the best (expletive removed) piece of television I've ever seen in my life!"

News Bunny went off air with L!VE TV in 1999 and is now owned by Vauxhall-based ETV, founded by L!VE's former management team. The character made a brief revival during their 2003 relaunch of the station on [[Sky (United Kingdom)|Sky Digital]].

== Performers ==

The main performers of News Bunny, in order of appearance were Ashley Hames, [[Ashley Revell]], Scott Harman, Darren Lamb, Andy Clarke, and Nik Hodges as well as his stand-in Tim Rider, Emily Latham and Sathnam Sanghera.

==News Bunny as media industry epithet==
((Unreferenced section|date=February 2010))
News Bunny has since become a media term occasionally used to refer to a news presenter, usually female, who has been hired for her attractiveness or capacity to entertain, rather than as a serious reporter.

==References==
((reflist))
* Quentin Falk, Ben Falk, ''Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary But True Tales from the History of Television'', Franz Steiner Verlag, 2005, ((ISBN|1-86105-874-8)), p.&nbsp;236
* Ashley Hames, ''Sin Cities'', Tonto Books, 2008, ((ISBN|0-9556326-0-9)), p.&nbsp;33

== External links ==

Ashley Hames (original News Bunny) [http://www.vivienneclore.com/articles/Ashley_913963_64.html]

[[Category:British television presenters|News_Bunny]]
[[Category:Mascots introduced in 1996]]
[[Category:Television mascots]]
[[Category:Rabbit and hare mascots]]
[[Category:Rabbits and hares in popular culture]]
[[Category:British political candidates]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

News Bunny (edit)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:ISBN (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Unreferenced (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Unreferenced section (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno (view source) (protected)
Template:Yesno-no (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno-yes (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Check isxn (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to News Bunny.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Bunny"