By Gavin Mackintosh-
Cambridge university students are celebrating looking forward to one of their alumni students, Chris Mason, take over the reins from Lauren Kuenssberg, who last month was announced as the new permanent presenter of the BBC’s Sunday morning politics show, replacing Marr.
There is much expectation from the intellectual crowd at the illustrious Cambridge University as one of their own steps to the podium after the next elections to display the years of cumulative skills harnessed at one of Britain’s best universities, and enhanced further by practical experience at the BBC.
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Mason, a Yorkshireman who graduated in Geography at Cambridge University has been elevated up the hereachichal structure of the British media, after starting his career as an ITN trainee before spending time as BBC Radio 5 Live’s political reporter.
He co-presented the network’s Question Time Extra Time and also spent two years in Brussels as the Europe correspondent.
Students from Cambridge University view his appointment as an inspiration for present students to aspire to greatness, which many do anyway. Filled with ambitious minds and students with high intellectual pedigrees, it is no surprise, Mason passed through this top institution and has ended where he is. His audience will be influenced by the fact his passion for journalism began with student journalism.
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Third Year Philosophy student, Sophie Adams, 21 told The Eye Of Media.Com: ”its an inspiration to know that one of the alumni students of this university has landed such a prominent role in the media. It goes to show that ambition does pay, and is a reminder that your environment can help shape you positively.
PHD student Zoe Walker said: ” Students at Cambridge University are very proud of Chris Mason, even though many of us never met him. But it is always encouraging to see people who have passed through the very paths we did excel to great heights. Let’s hope he scrutinizes ministers thoroughly, they need it.
Third Year history student Tim Anaderton, 20 said ” Good on Chris Mason, we look forward to seeing him do a good job. Any students who graduates from Cambridge with a half decent degree will excel in anything they choose to do. This university is filled with extremely intelligent and hardworking minds.
‘Good luck to British ministers questioned who are questioned by him. They would have had a tough time time dealing with any bright 20 year old from Cambridge University, let alone one with an extra two decades of experience. He will make all students from this university proud, and I am sure inspire our vision that much more”.
Cambridge has a lot of bright ambitious minds, and many of those who are committed to writing for a student paper are often extra ambitious. 
Cambridge students are bright and fun Image: supplied
As a student journalist, the Yorkshireman co-founded The Cambridge Student newspaper in the winter of 1999, and alternated between the roles of Deputy Editor, Associate Editor, and a member on the editorial advisory board.
He was apparently very opinionated and clever at it too.
In an interview Mason landed with Margaret Thatcher’s former chancellor Norman Lamont for the paper’s 3 October 2000 edition, he offered his own opinion of parliament’s second chamber.
Mason wrote: “…I am still to be convinced that the House of Lords is anything more than an anachronistic talking shop for past-it politicians and do-gooders in high places. A political departure lounge for the unelected know-it-alls of yesteryear.”
Sophy Ridge, who presents the Sky News Sunday morning politics show, and Anushka Asthana, deputy political editor of ITV News, had been the frontrunners for the role and that Mason had initially ruled himself out.
However, Mason beat Adam Fleming, co-presenter of Newscast and a long-standing friend for the role.
Her final assignment as political editor will be covering the local elections in May.
Speaking on a podcast, Mason said he started university knowing he wanted to be a journalist, meaning “ratcheting up” experience was “as important” as his degree.
“Journalism is a passion led industry. They are as interested in your demonstrable enthusiasm as your academic record.”
“I regarded [the journalism] as being as important as the formal work side”. That’s what, he said, would give him the best chance of getting a traineeship at a broadcaster.
His career in the BBC began at BBC Newcastle, and he has since covered politics in various roles, including two years spent in Brussels as the Europe correspondent. He will be stepping down from his current job as host of Radio 4 program “Any Questions” this summer.
One senior political journalist said that the BBC was struggling to decide whether to appoint a journalist who would break stories and a “wise statesman who is good at analysing events”.
It is understood that Mason is “seen internally as a safe pair of hands”.
In a statement, Mason said it would be a “tremendous privilege to take on what, for me, is the most extraordinary job in British broadcasting and journalism” and that he would be following “giants like Laura [Kuenssberg], Nick [Robinson] and Andrew [Marr] with a smattering of trepidation and a shedload of excitement and enthusiasm”.
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