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The eyes have it: Rory Stewart’s ‘magnificently strange’ Newsnight moment goes viral

Global Published 24 September 2026, 19:39 · archived 24 Sep 2026

Clip of the former Tory MP staring intently at fellow panellist is shared widely onlineRory Stewart has been an Afghan NGO leader, a Conservative leadership candidate, a Harvard professor, a popular podcaster, and the deputy governor of an Iraqi province. This week, he created a moment that drew wider attention than any of them: he fixed a beady gaze on a fellow Newsnight panellist for the longest four seconds in television history.Stewart, who now co-presents The Rest Is Politics with Alastair Campbell, appeared on the BBC programme on 18 September – but in the last few days, a clip of the mo...

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