Gavin Hewitt became a Special Correspondent for BBC News at the beginning of 2000. Since then he has reported on many of the major stories at home and abroad.

 

He reports mainly for the BBC's Six and Ten O'Clock News and has presented on the BBC News Channel.

 

During 2008 he has covered the American primaries and followed Barack Obama on his tour of Europe and the Middle East. In May he went to Burma to report on the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. In June he reported from Ethiopia on the plight of starving children.

 

In 2007 he went to the United States to report on the shootings at Virginia Tech. At home he profiled Gordon Brown and David Cameron for the Ten O'Clock News and covered that summer's floods.

 

In 2006, Gavin covered the war in the Middle East, reporting both from Lebanon - where he narrowly escaped a missile attack - and Israel.

 

In 2005 he covered the tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan. He also reported from New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina where he and his team bought a boat and managed to rescue a family of five.

 

Gavin was also one of the main reporters on the London bombings on 7 July 2005, the failed bombings and the capture of the suspected bombers. He also reported on the death of the Pope in 2005.

 

Other major stories he has covered include the Kerry campaign during the US elections, and the Bali bombings.

 

Gavin was one of the first correspondents to reach Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.

 

In Britain he reported on the Soham murders, the Potters Bar rail crash, the 2000 General Election and the foot and mouth outbreak. He has also reported on Zimbabwe, the Kashmir dispute, the United States elections, floods in southern Africa and the anti-globalisation riots in Genoa.

 

Gavin's report on the Madrid bombings and the London 7/7 attacks both won BAFTA awards. He won the Royal Television Society Award in 2001 for his coverage of the Oldham riots and also won the Broadcast Award for England's Shame, an investigation into football hooliganism at Euro 2000.

 

In September 2002 he wrote and presented the BBC documentary Clear The Skies, which told the story of the hours on September 11 2001 when the United States was under attack.

 

Gavin previously specialised in American politics and made three films about President Clinton, including All The President's Women, and The Shaming Of The President. On several occasions he has worked as the BBC's Washington Correspondent.

 

Gavin joined Panorama as a presenter in 1984 and was in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall came down. He conducted the first British television interview with Oliver North after the Iran Contra scandal, and later wrote a book about the hostage crisis in the Lebanon.

 

In 2005 he wrote a book about his life as a correspondent called A Soul On Ice.

 

While working at Panorama, Gavin made The Case Of India One which led to the largest investigation into police corruption in this country. He also made the film Escape From Tiananmen, which broke the story of Operation Yellow Bird - the underground network used to smuggle student leaders and others out of China.

 

He has also made two programmes about the Kosovo crisis, The Mind Of Milosevic and War Room.

 

In 1997, Gavin wrote and presented the BBC One tribute to Princess Diana and in 1998 made Charles: A Life In Waiting - a portrait of Prince Charles at 50 for Panorama and the US Arts and Entertainment channel.

 

He has also worked for the BBC's Natural History Unit, making two programmes about The Land Of The Tiger, and wrote and presented Another Silent Spring about the effect of pesticides on wildlife.

 

Prior to his work at the BBC, Gavin lived in Canada and worked as a correspondent for Canadian television.

 

Gavin was born in South London.

 

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