Last updated April 2008
Category: 5 Live
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Ian is a key member of BBC Radio 5 Live's
commentary team, and will be reporting from Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.
Ian was born in 1971 and, from the age of five,
grew up in West Yorkshire, where he attended
Ilkley Grammar School.
It was always a childhood ambition of his to
become a football commentator and he went
on to work at BBC Radio York at the age of
16 on a voluntary basis every Saturday.
He started getting paid for broadcasting in 1989
with local independent radio, and began working
for the BBC in 1995 as a freelance at local
stations BBC Cleveland, Leeds and Newcastle.
After a short stint as Durham cricket reporter
for BBC North in 1996, he was appointed
sports editor at BBC Radio Newcastle. During
his two years there he covered major stories
including the signing of Alan Shearer, the
departure of Kevin Keegan, the arrival of Kenny
Dalglish and Champions League football.
After a brief spell at 5 Live in the summer of
1998, Ian was offered the job of commentating
on Leeds United for BBC Leeds. It coincided
with the "dream years" under David O'Leary
and Peter Ridsdale where Leeds reached two
European semi finals.
In 2002, Ian left Leeds to join the 5 Live
football commentary team. He attended Euro
2004 as a reporter in Portugal, commentated
on his first World Cup finals in 2006 and, more
recently, covered his second Africa Cup of
Nations in Ghana in January 2008.
