Rizzini, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Austen was born on 19th November (year unknown), in Bexley.  She lived and studied in both France and Spain and is fluent in both languages.

She was based in Madrid for several years, before returning to the UK to do a masters degree in environmental journalism and climate change.

She joined the Met Office, then the BBC, where she has worked as a weather presenter across various regional and national outlets, including local BBC Radio, BBC Radio 4 and network television.

She has appeared on various regional BBC TV programmes: South East Today (from November 2010), BBC London (c. 2011), Points West and Look East (c. 2019).

She made her debut on BBC World in 2011 and on BBC Radio 5 Live (deputising for Simon King) and the BBC News Channel, during the morning shift, on Monday 2nd September 2019.

She made her national BBC One debuts as follows:

• BBC News at Six on 30th December 2019;
• BBC News at One, with Reeta Chakrabarti, on 14th June 2022;
• BBC News at Ten on 29th October 2023.

She now regularly presents BBC One forecasts.

She presented the weather forecast on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 25th June 2022.

She has produced and presented pieces for CBBC’s Newsround and The Antiques Roadshow.

She has two daughters and shares her home with two cats and two guinea pigs.

In October 2020, it was announced that she was dating BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner. She appeared in the BBC Two documentary Being Frank (2020).

Correspondence

Paul R. Jackson contacted Elizabeth in February 2021.

Quick summary of your broadcasting career

“I joined the Met Office in 2008/9.  My TV debut was BBC South East Today in November 2010.  First TV training was by Michael Fish who said ‘first, look out the window’ and also by the wonderful Carol Kirkwood.

“I regularly freelance on the BBC News Channel and on BBC Radio 5 Live (not really in pandemic as the staff numbers don’t allow it and my last appearance was in March/April last year).

“I’ve also appeared on Weather World, Sky at Night and my forecast for the Mars rover landing in 2018 was featured on Channel 4’s Gogglebox.

“I regularly present stargazing forecasts for the national team as have an interest in astronomy.

“I present from Wimbledon for the tournament – tennis is one of my passions, I love it.”

Any hobbies? And what was it like presenting during the pandemic?

“I ran the 2016 London marathon on a media place for Save the Children and Medicins Sans Frontiers and the 2015 Great North Run.

“I regularly collect clothes and toiletries for refugee charities.

“Broadcasting from home has been challenging at times.  My youngest daughter made it on to BBC Radio 5 Live to say hi to Nicky Campbell.

“My guinea pigs make regular contributions to BBC Radio Suffolk and Louis the cat has been purring away to Vanessa Feltz.”

Personal information

Clips of Elizabeth on The TV Room

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Online presence

Acknowledgements