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.
She moved behind-the-microphone as a BBC Radio 2/BBC Radio 4 announcer (1977 – 1981) and played Darong in series one of children’s game show The Adventure Game (BBC Two, 1980).
Moira joined BBC TV News as their first African-Caribbean newsreader and her first TV news broadcast was on 27th August 1981. Other key dates:
- 7th September 1981: presents News after Noon (BBC One) for the first time.
- 1st March 1982 (TBC): debut as presenter of Evening News (BBC One).
- 4th January 1986: presented Review for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (BBC Two) (later News View (BBC Two)) for the first time.
- 8th December 1986: began presenting weekend news and hourly weekday news summaries (BBC One/BBC Two).
- 25th April 1988: first presented the Nine o’Clock News (BBC One).
- 13th June 1989: first appeared as presenter of the Six o’Clock News (BBC One).
From October 2000 until April 2006, Moira read news bulletins, mainly between Monday and Thursday, for BBC TV’s Breakfast and also on Breakfast with Frost and subsequently Sunday AM with Andrew Marr.
In April 2006, following the relaunch of the Breakfast programme, Moira’s TV news presenting became restricted to Sunday morning/lunchtimes on BBC One.
In April 2007, it was announced that she was being dropped from TV news. The decision resulted in notable levels of objection in the press and among the public, with many accusing the BBC of ageism.
Moira’s final news broadcast was 10th March 2007, although the official announcement about her departure wasn’t made until 3rd October 2007.
Moira was the second-longest serving BBC TV newsreader, with 25 years and 6 months service; beaten only by Richard Baker, who clocked up 28 years and 5 months service.
Helen Boaden, director of BBC News, issued the following statement:
Throughout her 30-plus years at the BBC, Moira has achieved a great deal. She has always been a model professional as well as being much-loved and admired by both the public and her BBC colleagues. Everyone in BBC News wishes her all the best for the future.
Helen Boaden, director, BBC News
Moira is a keen music lover and has been a long-serving presenter on BBC Radio 2 (since April 1980). She deputised for Humphrey Lyttleton on Best of Jazz.
In 2009, BBC Radio 2 announced that Moira would join the new Chris Evans Breakfast Show from January 2010, to read the news bulletins. On the show, she interacted with the presenting team and listeners got to hear her wonderful laugh which used to be heard around the TV newsroom and in the 6th floor tea bar.
In March 2014, Moira began hosting the Sunday late-night show Music until Midnight and alternated the slot with Oscar-winning songwriter Don Black.
Moira read her final news bulletins on the BBC Radio 2 Chris Evans Breakfast Show on 14th December 2018. Soon after, it was announced that she would join Classic FM in February 2019, having spent over 40 years with the BBC.
Speaking about the move Stuart said: “I couldn’t be more excited and delighted to be joining the Classic FM family. It’s a wonderful opportunity to take a whole new journey, with people I really like and admire.”
She is the morning news presenter on Classic FM, appearing during the Tim Lihoreau breakfast show and John Suchet’s mid-morning programme.
Non-news television appearances include:
- co-presenter Cashing In (BBC Two);
- being the subject of an edition of Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC One, November 2004);
- appeared in Ricky Gervais’ Extras (BBC Two, 2006), purportedly supplying drugs to comedy legend Ronnie Corbett;
- presented documentary In Search of Wilberforce (March 2007);
- hosted Have I Got News for You? (BBC One, 2nd June 2007) – the extended and uncut version of the programme (shown the following evening, 3rd June 2007) revealed that, while making a spoof appeal for work, she fluffed her lines on a number of occasions but took it all with her usual good humour;
- appeared as a panellist on Would I Lie to You? (BBC One, July 2015).
From 2008 until 2010, Moira appeared in adverts for HMRC promoting tax return procedures.
She has won numerous awards including the TV and Radio Industries Club Best Newscaster and the Women of Achievement Television Personality.
She received honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh in 2006 and from Canterbury Christ Church University at Canterbury Cathedral in January 2013.
Moira has served on various boards and judging panels including Amnesty International, The Royal Television Society, BAFTA, United Nations Association, the London Fair Play Consortium, the Human Genetics Advisory Commission, the Orange Prize for Literature, the BUPA Communications Panel, the IVCA and the Queen’s Anniversary Prize and the Grierson Trust.
She was awarded the OBE in the 2001 Birthday Honours and in 2003 was named one of the 100 Great Black Britons.
Personal information
Clips of Moira on The TV Room
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Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Moira Stuart. SUPPLIED BY: Online. COPYRIGHT: Unknown.
I always liked Moira when she presented the news on the Frost On Sunday show on BBC1. Don’t know why but she always called me hun. As I sprinted down the stairs from gallery to studio floor to make her lighting good, I always lit her from the other side of the studio (a25k long throw) with a tickle of fill to balance. Seems she liked this a lot and thus I continued. No probs.