Born in Chelsea, Christopher Chataway spent his childhood in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, where his father served in the Sudan Political Service.
…Wellings, Bob
Bob Wellings was born in Jerusalem.
…Lawley, Sue
Sue was born in Dudley in the West Midlands. She graduated with a BA Hons in modern languages from the University of Bristol.
…Trethowan, Ian
Sir Ian was born in High Wycombe. He left at school at 16 and joined the Daily Sketch as an office boy. He began his career as a journalist and parliamentary lobby correspondent.
…Langley, Bob
Bob was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. He worked in insurance and served in the RAF, before travelling around America, He later worked as a lumberjack in Canada.
…Pyrah, Gill
Gill was born in Yorkshire in 1951 (date unknown). She has a degree in psychology.
…Trueman, Brian
Brian was born in Manchester. In 1946, he made his acting debut in Plover Patrol for BBC Radio in Manchester.
…Burak, Lukwesa
Lukwesa was born in Ndola, Zambia in 1974 (date unknown). She is named after her royal tribal family.
…Chakrabarti, Reeta
Reeta was born in London to an Indian Bengali family and was raised in Birmingham.
…Masters, Ian
Ian was born in 1940 in Goffs Oak, Herts. He worked at BBC Radio Sheffield at its launch in 1967 and at BBC TV North West in the early 1970s. He was a regional compére on Come Dancing (1972 – 1973) and joined BBC TV’s Look East, where he was a popular presenter for a decade (1973 – 1983).
…Parker, Bruce
Bruce was brought up in Guernsey. He was educated at Elizabeth College, followed by the University of Wales. He has a postgraduate degree from Reading University.
…Haycocks, Paddy
Paddy was born in Portsmouth. He worked at BFBS radio (British Forces Broadcasting Service) in Cyprus (1966 – 1968). He performed various roles including tape editing, reporting, presenting and studio management (1966 – 1968).
…Cowan, Barry
Barry Cowan was one of the leading faces of BBC Northern Ireland news and current affairs during the worst of The Troubles in the 1970s and 1980s.
…Aziz, Khalid
Professor Khalid Aziz LVO, DL, FRSA was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1953. His broadcasting career began at the BBC as a producer at BBC Radio Leicester (1969). He soon moved into TV reporting on the BBC’s Look North (1977 – 1979) and then became its youngest presenter (1979 – 1981), at the age of 24. On 28th March 2008, he joined former presenter Sue Wilkins, along with current presenters Harry Gration and Christa Ackroyd for the programme’s 40th anniversary edition from the National Media Museum.
…Baguley, Michael
Michael was a BBC Northern Ireland news and current affairs presenter in the 1960s and 1970s. He presented the main regional news programme in the 1960s.
…Trace, Christopher
Chris – a former actor – was born in Hambledon, Surrey. After working as a farm labourer, he joined the British Army and trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and in 1953 received a commission in the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army. He was promoted to lieutenant in February 1955, but resigned his commission in September 1956. He had a relatively undistinguished acting career – his greatest screen role being Charlton Heston’s body double in Ben-Hur (1959). He later appeared as an interviewer in Ask Mr Pastry (1961) and as himself in Mr Pastry’s Pet Shop (1962).
…Singleton, Valerie
Valerie trained as a dancer at the Arts Education School. She studied for two years at RADA (winning a one-term scholarship) and spent a year at Bromley Repertory as an assistant stage manager, playing small parts.
…Edwards, Huw
Huw was born in Bridgend, Glamorgan and graduated from University College, Cardiff with a first-class degree in French. He joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1984 and originally worked for BBC Wales and S4C, but then moved to become a reporter for BBC TV’s Panorama (1993). Some of Huw’s later roles: parliamentary correspondent, BBC Wales (1986 – 1988); political correspondent, BBC TV News (1988 – 1997); chief political correspondent, BBC News 24 (1997 – 1999).
…Winton, Nan
Born Nancy Wigginton, Nan was co-presenter on BBC TV’s Information Desk (1955 – 1956) and Mainly for Women (1957).
…Akua, Nana
Nana was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in July 1971 (as Nana Akua Amotemaa-Appiah), after her parents came over from Ghana in the 1960s. She relocated to the US with her parents, aged 11, but would later return to the UK and study business and finance at university.
…Parkin, Leonard
Born in Thurnscoe, West Riding of Yorkshire, Leonard began his career as a reporter on the Wakefield Express series of weekly papers, then Yorkshire Observer, Bradford Telegraph and Argus and Yorkshire Evening Post. He was one of the BBC’s early television news reporters in the BBC News division (1954 – 1960) and was later BBC Radio News Canada correspondent (1960 – 1965) and Washington correspondent (1963 – 1965). In November 1963, as deputy correspondent in Washington, his Radio Newsreel report on the assassination of John F. Kennedy proved to be an historic recording. He also worked as a reporter on BBC TV’s Panorama (1965 – 1967). He was involved in coverage of five general elections: BBC reporter (1966); ITN reporter (1970, February 1974, 1983) and ITN presenter 1979.
…Buckley, Bill
Bill was born in Burton-on-Trent. He’s a radio/TV presenter, journalist, songwriter and former actor.
…Stuart, Moira
Moira was born in London to Dominican-Barbadian African-Caribbean parents. She began working for the BBC in 1973 as a production assistant in the Radio Talks and Documentaries department.
…Aspel, Michael
Michael was born in London. He was evacuated during World War II, for four-and-a-half years, to Chard in Somerset. He worked as a tea boy at William Collins publishers and completed his National Service in the ranks of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (1951 – 1953).
…Neil, Andrew
Andrew was born in Paisley and attended Glasgow University, where he edited the student newspaper, the Glasgow University Guardian; he also dabbled in student television.
…Guru-Murthy, Krishnan
Liverpool-born and educated at Oxford University, Krishnan’s broadcasting career began in 1988, when he presented discussion programme Open to Question (BBC Two, 1988 – 1989); he was also a reporter on youth current affairs programme Reportage (BBC Two, 1988 – 1989).
…Brinton, Tim
Tim was educated at Summer Fields, Eton and went to the University of Geneva. After National Service, he trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and in the early 1950s he joined the BBC as a radio announcer.
…Finucane, Marian
Marian was an RTÉ continuity announcer in the mid-1970s before moving on to present many radio and TV programmes at the station.
Badawi, Zeinab
Zeinab’s broadcasting career began as an ITN newscaster, working on Channel 4 News (1989 – 1998). She also presented on the ITV Morning News in the 1990s and on the Channel 4 Daily in 1990.
In 1998, she joined the BBC and spent five years working on live political programmes based at Westminster. She then moved to radio, where she presented The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 and Newshour on the BBC World Service.
In April 2005, Zeinab was announced as the new presenter of BBC Four’s news programme, The World. The programme – also broadcast on BBC World News – was rebranded as World News Today in May 2007. She continued to present the programme until 2013.
…Austin, Wendy
Wendy joined BBC Northern Ireland in November 1976, fresh from her presenting duties on Downtown Radio. She joined the commercial radio station earlier in 1976, following four years as a newspaper journalist: initially with the East Antrim Times (1972 – 1974) and then the Belfast Telegraph (1974 – 1976). Wendy’s BBC career began as a TV reporter but by the 1980s, she was also presenting on Scene Around Six and later, Inside Ulster. She co-presented the BBC NI opt-outs during Children in Need and was also the face of a local supermarket chain’s advertising campaign in the 1980s.
As well as appearing on screen, Wendy was also involved with BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast programme Good Morning Ulster, from the early 1980s. Since the late-1980s, Wendy has mostly stayed with radio. She has been one of the main presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster and between 1988 and 1998, she presented nationally on BBC Radio 4, on programmes such as PM, Pick of the Week and Woman’s Hour. However, she did pop up on TV screens occasionally – she took over from former colleague Sean Rafferty as presenter of The DIY Show.
…Ford, Anna
Born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, into a household steeped in the performing arts – both her parents were West End actors – Anna Ford forged an intellectual identity far removed from the stage.
…Harvey, David
David’s broadcasting career began in radio: he was a producer and presenter with Irish stations Radio Nova and Century Radio. Around the mid-1980s, David was a continuity announcer on RTÉ One. He went on to become the presenter of RTÉ One’s Crimeline.
He was CEO of the Irish-based City Channel and was a founder of Star Broadcasting, the company that owns Sunshine 106.8.
Mangold, Tom
Tom worked in BBC TV News and Current Affairs since 1964, working initially as a war reporter and later as an investigative journalist, on programmes such as Panorama. He is an international best-selling author and an award-winning travel writer.
…Rafferty, Sean
A familiar face on BBC Northern Ireland in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Sean was one of the main presenter on the local news programmes Scene Around Six and later, Inside Ulster.
Other TV work for BBC Northern Ireland in the 1980s/90s included arts magazines Prospect and 29 Bedford Street. He co-presented thirty editions of The DIY Show with Denise Waterman. In 1995, Sean left BBC Northern Ireland to become the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme, where he remains today.
McKee, Seamus
Seamus has presented current affairs programming on BBC Radio Ulster since c. the mid-1980s, with occasional stints on television on the Spotlight programme. In 1992 he took on a more regular TV role when he became one of the lead presenters on the local news programme Inside Ulster. He continued with presenting on BBC Radio Ulster. Seamus departed Inside Ulster ahead of the relaunch of the programme in spring 1996.
Seamus continued as a regular presenter on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster and Evening Extra. He still makes occasional appearances on television; he presented a local schools quiz series in 2001 – School Challenge. Seamus has also presented the BBC Radio 2 Arts Programme.
Rippon, Angela
Angela was born in Plymouth. On leaving school at 17, she began her journalistic career in newspapers in Devon.
…Kelly, Chris
Chris was an Anglia Television continuity announcer (1963) and programme presenter who went on to front popular children’s shows such as Clapperboard (ITV), holiday must-see show Wish You Were Here? (ITV, 1976 – 1987) and gastronaut’s bible, Food and Drink (BBC).
…Ashby, Marie
Marie was born in Edinburgh and raised in Carlisle.
Having obtained a degree in French, she then went on to study a one-year post-graduate course in radio journalism. Her career began in radio, where she worked as a district reporter for BBC Radio Cumbria in Barrow, Furness, covering the South Lakes.
Six months later, she moved to BBC Radio Nottingham, taking up a reporting job. Then, in 1989, while on placement to Midlands Today, Marie moved to Central TV, where she spent sixteen years, as a reporter and presenter; she would soon became one of the main anchors on the main evening regional news programme there. During her time with ITV, Marie presented many programmes, covering political and social issues.
…Kee, Robert
During a long career in TV news and current affairs, Robert was associated with a number of BBC and ITV programmes: reporter, BBC TV’s Panorama (1958 – 1962) and presenter in 1982; reporter, This Week (1965 – 1968); ITN newscaster on lunchtime programme First Report (October 1972 – January 1976). In 1980 he both wrote and presented Ireland – A Television History.
…Coyne, Tom
Tom was born in South Shields. In his 20s, he was a presenter of BBC Radio’s Children’s Hour. He made his first TV appearance in 1958, interviewing a miner on Tyne Tees TV. He was a member of the original announcing team in 1959.
…Nesbitt, Mike
Mike’s journalistic career began within the BBC’s sports department in the mid-1980s. In 1986, he became one of the regular presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast news and current affairs offering, Good Morning Ulster.
In 1990, he moved to PR company Anderson Kenny. By 1992 he had shifted back into regular TV presenting, becoming one of the main anchors on UTV’s regional news programme, Six Tonight. He quickly established himself as one of the key figures within the station’s news department.
However, in February 2006 came the shock announcement that Mike was not renewing his contract with UTV. Speaking at the time, he said: “I have decided to leave because I just feel very strongly that the time has come to move on.
“I believe it is time for a new challenge and I have several projects in the pipeline.
“I will be sorry to leave behind a very fine bunch of journalists, and above all, will miss working with my wife Lynda, who is a key factor in UTV’s success story.”
Other TV credits: Sunday Morning (ITV, 1999 2001), a religious affairs programme, co-presented with his wife Lynda Bryans; Counterpoint, and its successor Insight (UTV, 1992 – early 2000s), a current affairs programme; Home Sweet Home (UTV, 2004 – 2006), a home and garden series, co-presented with wife Lynda.
When he stepped away from on-screen roles, Nesbitt and his wife set up their own independent media services company.
In January 2008, Mike was confirmed as the Victims Commissioners for Northern Ireland – a role established by the Northern Ireland Assembly to highlight the interests of victims of The Troubles. He left that post in February 2010 to stand as a candidate for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists in the Strangford constituency in the 2010 General Election. He lost out to the Democratic Unionist Party’s Jim Shannon. A year later, Nesbitt stood in the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, again in Strangford. He was elected, along with 5 other MLAs in that constituency. On 31st March 2012, he was elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. He remained in that role until 2017.
Bough, Frank
Former BBC sport, Nationwide and Breakfast Time presenter.
…Algie, Suzie
Gaelic speaking presenter of Grampian Television’s Telefios Gaelic-language news magazine in the 1990s.
Frost, David
TV presenter.
…Tusa, John
Former TV/radio presenter.
…Scott, Selina
TV presenter.
…Buerk, Michael
TV news reporter/presenter and radio presenter.
…Snow, Peter
TV news presenter.
…Webb, Justin
TV/radio news reporter/presenter.
…Adie, Kate
Kate was born in Northumberland and adopted as a baby by a couple in Sunderland.
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