So – glasses on, glasses off? It’s a question we’re asked all the time. There’s no simple answer, but there are some guidelines:

•  A pair of glasses is a barrier between you and the viewers. All glasses obscure your eyes to some extent.
•  If you sometimes wear glasses, you’re probably better without them
•  If you always wear glasses and you take them off, you’ll probably look a bit like a mole

Our general advice is, if you’re comfortable without them, take them off.  If you’re not, don’t.

That said, there are definitely specs that work and specs that don’t.  Many broadcasters who wear face furniture have special pairs for the studio.

•  Transition lenses can darken under the studio lights. They’ll definitely go darker if you’re outside in daylight. They should be avoided for television.
•  The best glasses for the screen have fine frames, and lenses large enough not to cut across the eye. Better still if the lenses are frameless.
•  The new, fashionable glasses with small lenses and strong, dark frames look dreadful on telly. Even worse are the ones with tinted lenses. You might as well be wearing a carnival mask.
• Sunnies may be cool – but they’re not cool when you’re being interviewed on television.

And the most important tip of all:

•  If you’re wearing glasses on telly, make sure they’re sitting on your nose properly. If the top of the frame cuts across your eyes you’ll lose all your impact.

A lot of time and angst can go into choosing what to wear for a television appearance.  Our basic advice is simple: your clothes should be appropriate for the occasion and the programme.  A three-piece suit will look plain silly on Country Calendar; shorts and gumboots won’t do you any favours on Close Up or Campbell Live.

The trend these days is for informality. Even John Campbell has given up wearing ties much of the time.  A suit or jacket with an open-neck shirt looks fine in most settings, unless you want to be very formal. On many programmes you can abandon the jacket.  Take a look at what your host is wearing. Read the rest of this entry »

I spend most of Q+A with my eyes closed.  It’s not that the people are exceptionally ugly, or pull hideous faces, or have annoying tics. It’s just that the moving lines on the background drive me nuts.  I can’t concentrate on what anyone is saying; my eyes are riveted on those hypnotic orange stripes. Read the rest of this entry »

One of these days someone will design a lounge chair or a couch that doesn’t undermine interviewers and their subjects on television. Sadly, anything comfortable in the way of seating will probably make you look dreadful on camera. Read the rest of this entry »