George Alagiah

Infobox journalist
name = George Alagiah
birthname = George Maxwell Alagiah
birth_date = birth date and age|1955|11|22|df=yes
birth_place = Sri Lanka
education = Durham University
occupation = Journalist, Presenter
spouse = Frances Robathan (1984-present)
ethnic = British
credits = "BBC News at Six"
"BBC World News"

George Maxwell Alagiah OBE (born 22 November 1955) is a sri lankan born English journalist and presenter.

Since 3 December 2007, he has been the sole presenter of the "BBC News at Six". He has also been the main presenter of BBC World News's "World News Today" programme since its launch and is the main relief presenter for the BBC's flagship bulletin "BBC News at Ten".

Background

The Alagiah family were originally from Sri Lanka, where George was born and are Tamils, but his parents moved to Ghana in Africa, where George grew up from the age of five. Later, George attended a Catholic boarding school, St John's College, at Southsea in Hampshire before going to university.

George read politics at Van Mildert College, Durham University. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/georgealagiah.shtml|title=BBC Press Office: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28] Whilst at Durham he wrote for and became editor of the student newspaper "Palatinate" and was a sabbatical officer of Durham Students' Union. He worked on South Magazine from 1982 until joining the BBC, where he was the Developing World correspondent based in London and then Southern Africa correspondent in Johannesburg. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/georgealagiah.shtml|title=BBC Press Office: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28]

In 2004 he returned to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami to survey the damage. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/georgealagiah.shtml|title=BBC Press Office: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28] The family's former home had been destroyed, though an old well George recalled playing at with his sisters as a child was still recognisable, though unsalvageable.

He is married to Frances Robathan.

Broadcasting career

Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 after seven years in print journalism with "South Magazine". [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_3220000/newsid_3223900/3223966.stm|title=NewsWatch: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28]

In 2000 he was part of the BBC team which collected a BAFTA award for its coverage of the Kosovo conflict.

He was the presenter of "BBC Four News" from its launch in 2002; the programme was later relaunched as "The World".

George Alagiah joined the "BBC Six O'Clock News" in January 2003, which he co-presented with Sophie Raworth until October 2005, and with Natasha Kaplinsky until October 2007. Since 3 December 2007 he has been the sole presenter of the "Six O' Clock News". Prior to this he was the deputy anchor of the "BBC One O'Clock News" from 1999. Since 3 July 2006, he has also presented "World News Today", on BBC World News. He is also a relief presenter on "BBC Ten O'Clock News".

Before going behind the studio desk, George was one of the BBC's leading foreign correspondents, reporting on events ranging from the genocide in Rwanda, the plight of the marsh Arabs in southern Iraq and civil wars in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/georgealagiah.shtml|title=BBC Press Office: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28]

He is a specialist on Africa and the developing world and has interviewed, among others, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/georgealagiah.shtml|title=BBC Press Office: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28]

His documentaries and features include reports on why affirmative action in America is a 'Lost Cause', for the Assignment programme, Saddam Hussein's genocidal campaign against the Kurds of northern Iraq for the BBC's "Newsnight" programme and a report on the last reunion of the veterans of Dunkirk. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_3220000/newsid_3223900/3223966.stm|title=NewsWatch: George Alagiah|accessdate=2006-12-28]

Alagiah has won numerous awards including "Best International Report" at the Royal Television Society in 1993 and Amnesty International's "Best TV Journalist" award in 1994. He has also been a member of the board of trustees of the UK-based human rights organisation, ARTICLE 19 since 2003. [cite web|url=http://www.article19.org/about/staff.html|title=Article 19 - Staff|accessdate=2007-11-18]

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_3220000/newsid_3223900/3223966.stm Profile from BBC Newswatch]
* [http://www.world-citizenship.org/word/index.php/wp-archive/337 Career (from World People's Blog)]
* [http://www.bbcworld.com/insite/content/template_latestnews_press.asp?pageid=26&elementid=2929 BBC World: George Alagiah joins BBC World to present new peak-time news programme]