Last updated December 2004
Category:
News;
Radio 4
Printable version
John Humphrys has been a presenter of BBC Radio 4's
Today programme since January 1987.
Renowned as a tough and tenacious interviewer, his work
on Today and other BBC programmes has made him one of the BBC's most
respected journalists.
During his career with the BBC, John has worked as a
foreign correspondent in both America and Africa, as well as diplomatic
correspondent and a presenter of the Nine O'Clock News.
He has presented Panorama, You Decide and On The Record
on BBC ONE and On The Ropes on Radio 4.
John joined the BBC as a reporter based in Liverpool
in 1966 and a year later became northern industrial correspondent.
He moved to London in 1970 but spent long periods covering
Northern Ireland, and then began his foreign assignments with the India-Pakistan
War.
Aged 28 he became the BBC's first full-time television
correspondent in the United States and the youngest television foreign
correspondent.
Based in New York for a year, and Washington for five,
he covered stories from Alaska to the tip of South America, including
the revolution in Chile, Watergate and the resignation of President
Nixon.
He then moved to South Africa in 1977 where he covered,
among other things, the transformation of Rhodesia into Zimbabwe.
He returned to London in 1980 and took up the post of
BBC diplomatic correspondent.
In 1981 John joined the Nine O'Clock News team as its
main presenter before moving to the Today programme in 1987.
In September 1993 John became the presenter of BBC ONE's
weekly political programme, On The Record.
He has won most of broadcasting's national awards including,
in one twelve month period, Political Journalist of the Year voted for
by MPs in the Channel 4 Parliamentary Awards; Radio Personality of the
Year by the Variety Club of Great Britain; and Journalist of the Year
by the Media Society.
In 2003 he won the Sony Gold Medal for his outstanding
contribution.
But he says his most prized is the Special Award of
the Plain English Campaign.
He has written three best-selling books: Devil's Advocate,
The Great Food Gamble and, his most recent, Lost for Words: the mangling
and manipulation of the English language.
For five years he was the lead columnist on The Sunday
Times.
John was born in Cardiff on August 17 1943.
After leaving Cardiff High School at the age of 15 he
worked as a reporter for various newspapers for six years and spent
two years as a scriptwriter and reporter for independent television.
