By Cathy Loughran

What is Fiona Bruce looking forward to most about presenting BBC One's new peak time current affairs magazine?

"Being let off the leash to chase my own stories and the big interviews.

"I've missed that, I enjoy it enormously," says Bruce, who, from next Monday, adds the weekly Real Story to a portfolio that already takes in the Ten O'Clock News, Crimewatch and, from May, Call My Bluff.

Real Story, from the Manchester-based current affairs unit, will be "popular current affairs with a human face" - people-led stories, on average three a programme, where serious current issues like war and asylum are investigated from the human angle.

We want to be ahead of the headlines, drawing upon the BBC's large, talented reserve of reporters Fiona Bruce

It is in a tough slot, head to head with Coronation Street, although current affairs on BBC One has been established at 1930 GMT with forerunners like 4x4 and currently Inside Out.

The 20-strong Real Story team is essentially the same one that made 4x4.

"On the really big stories there will be times when we're chasing the same interviews with other media, but competition is healthy," says Bruce, who will report as well as present, and conduct the big single interviews.

'Accessible and authorative'

"In any case, we'll be after our own exclusives, not slavishly following the news agenda. We want to be ahead of the headlines, drawing upon the BBC's large, talented reserve of reporters."

Stories the programme has already been chasing include "child bride" runaway Rachel Lloyd.

Bruce will interview Steven Lawrence witness Duane Brooks on the tenth anniversary of Lawrence's death.

Human interest angles will help the show fit the BBC One schedule, the presenter believes, but she makes no apology for the deliberately popular approach: "Accessible doesn't mean less authoritative," she insists.

Regions represented

Flexibility will be a strength, says Real Story editor Dave Stanford: "We'll pre-package programmes but when the story demands it we will go live on a single issue.

"We'll be building on our relationship with newsgathering and nations and regions.

"Somewhere now, there is a local or regional journalist with a story that will break as national news - we want story pitches from across the organisation."

At least three of the first 28 programmes commissioned by Lorraine Heggessey and head of current affairs Peter Horrocks will be from regional teams.

Bruce herself is a big draw, Standford says, at home with big breaking stories, current affairs, live interviews and human interest.

"Plus, she's one of the big faces of BBC One."

And no, the programme did not want Martin Bashir as its first choice as reported in the press, although Real Story has recruited Tonight with Trevor McDonald''s former deputy editor Mike Lewis as series producer and two of its producers, Colin Stone and Carl Johnson.

Real Story: Monday, 17 March, 1930 GMT, on BBC One and the Real Story website.