Lithgow, Lynette

Lynette Lithgow was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1950.

Her media career began in the 1970s, when she worked as a broadcaster for Radio Television Brunei – an early posting that foreshadowed a career that would ultimately take her across continents and to the top of her profession.

She made her first appearance on UK television in the 1980s as an in-vision continuity announcer at Granada Television (circa 1984), returning to the same channel in 1992 in an out-of-vision announcing capacity.

In 1989 she joined the BBC as a presenter in the East Midlands, and during this period also co-presented Lifeline – the BBC One charity appeal programme – alongside Cliff Michelmore, from 1989 to 1991.

The national exposure that came with Lifeline opened doors at network level, and she relocated to London to join the BBC TV news team.

Between 9th February 1990 and 17th October 1991 she presented BBC One’s hourly news summaries and weekend bulletins, as well as News Report and BBC Two’s News View.

A moment of particular historical significance came on 22nd November 1990, when, at around 9.45am – interrupting a live edition of BBC One’s People Today – Lithgow was the first BBC news presenter to announce the resignation of Margaret Thatcher.

In 1991, she was among the launch presenters at BBC World. On radio, she presented BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour during April and May 1995.

In 1996, Lithgow left the BBC having completed a law degree at Oxford University, subsequently taking up a fellowship at Harvard.

She then joined CNBC Asia’s business news operation, based in Singapore, where she continued to work until her death.

In December 2001, Lynette Lithgow was murdered at her family home in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Her 83-year-old mother, Maggie Lee, and her British brother-in-law, John Cropper, were killed alongside her in the same attack.

Lithgow had been married twice. She had two children from her first marriage. Her second marriage, to Dominic Pearson, lasted from 1998 until her death.

In 2005, the Harvard Kennedy School established a fund in her name to support students with a commitment to journalism – a fitting tribute to a career defined by breadth, talent and principle.

Personal information

Clips of Lynette on The TV Room

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Online presence

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