Biographies

Presenter

Derek Bateman started work with The Scotsman and the Edinburgh Evening News, becoming at 18 the youngest student to pass the national qualification in journalism, and was a prize winner in the Young Journalist of the Year competition.

He joined the Glasgow Herald where he worked in the Edinburgh office as a reporter. He co-wrote a book on Robert Maxwell's involvement in the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and was honoured in the Reporter of the Year awards.

Derek joined the BBC in 1986 as a TV reporter and presenter with Kirsty Wark on the politics programme Left, Right And Centre.

When Scotland On Sunday launched he became its first political editor and had the front page splash story in the first three edtions.

He resigned to go freelance and wrote for the Sunday Times and the Observer. He was a USA State Department journalism tour participant.

With an independent production company he reported international affairs for Scottish TV from France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Poland – securing an interview with Polish Solidarity leader President Lech Walesa – Romania, Israel and the West Bank.

He began working for BBC Radio Scotland as a reporter, concentrating on international affairs, with assignments in Brussels and the European Parliament in Strasbourg as well as Dublin and Belfast where he covered the IRA ceasefire.

He presented Newsweek, Eye To Eye, People And Power, Head-On and the weekly comedy show TGIF for Radio Scotland before becoming a regular presenter of Good Morning Scotland (GMS) in 1996.

He has presented overnight coverage of both General and Scottish Elections for Radio Scotland. He anchored radio coverage of the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

In 2006 Derek completed 10 years on GMS and became presenter of Newsweek Scotland and Scotland At Ten.

He has presented radio features on Scottish history and a series on frontiers in the Basque country, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Finland and Russia. He has made location radio documentaries on the Quebec referendum from Montreal, the United States presidential election from Georgia and the handover of Hong Kong from China.

Derek reads history, follows rugby, speaks French badly and drinks red wine.