Gavin Hewitt

Gavin Hewitt (born 1951) 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.

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 John Paul II in 2005.

Other major stories he has covered include: the Kerry campaign during the 2004 American presidential election, the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the Bali bombing.

In Britain he reported on the Soham murders, the Potters Bar rail crash, the 2001 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 won a Bafta award.

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.

He previously specialised in American politics and made three films about President Bill 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.

He has also had a book published about the places he has reported from 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.

In 2003 he was one of three reporters to use David Kelly as a source for the BBC story claiming that the British Government had "sexed up" a dossier describing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. He later gave evidence on the affair to the Hutton Inquiry.

Gavin Hewitt has also reported on the Buncefield depot explosion.

He presented Crisis Command - Could you run the country? - a BBC TV show where three people are given the chance to take ministerial decisions in a real-time dramatisation of a potential national emergency (flooding, terrorist attack etc).

He has written "A Soul on Ice" - a book about his time as a journalist. ISBN 0-330-43296-6

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.

External links

* [http://media.guardian.co.uk/huttoninquiry/story/0,13812,1025923,00.html Gavin Hewitt's role in the David Kelly affair, from the Guardian]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/gavinhewitt.shtml Gavin Hewitt profile from the BBC press office]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/profiles/newsid_3238000/3238126.stm Gavin Hewitt profile from BBC News]

*imdb title|id=0426344|title=Crisis Command BBC