James Naughtie

Infobox Radio presenter
name = James ("Jim") Naughtie


imagesize =
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birthname =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1952|8|9
birthplace = Milltown of Rothiemay, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
deathdate =
deathplace =
show = Today programme
station = BBC Radio 4
network = BBC
timeslot =
show2 = Bookclub
station2 = BBC Radio 4
network2 = BBC
timeslot2 =
style =
country = United Kingdom
prevshow =
parents =
spouse(s) = Eleanor Updale
children =
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James ("Jim") Naughtie (born 9 August 1952) is a Scottish journalist and radio news presenter for the BBC. Since 1994 he has been one of the main presenters of Radio 4's "Today" programme.

Biography

James Naughtie was born and brought up in Milltown of Rothiemay, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was educated at Keith Grammar School, the University of Aberdeen and then Syracuse University in New York. He is a Fellow of the British-American Project.

He began his career in journalism in 1975 at the Aberdeen "Press & Journal", moving to the London offices of "The Scotsman" in 1977. The following year he joined the paper's Westminster staff, and became its Chief Political Correspondent. In 1981, he worked for "The Washington Post" as the Laurence Stern fellow on its national staff. Naughtie joined "The Guardian" in 1984, and became its Chief Political Correspondent in 1985.

In 1986, he moved into radio journalism, presenting "The Week In Westminster", and in 1988 he joined "The World At One". He has also made several radio documentaries and series, and has written three books, "Playing the Palace: A Westminster Collection", "The Rivals: The Intimate Story of a Political Marriage", and "The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency".

He has been a presenter of the televised "Proms" since 1992, and has also presented opera programmes such as Radio 3's "Opera News". Naughtie is also the current host of Radio 4's "Bookclub".

He was voted Radio Personality of the Year in 1991 as part of the Sony Radio Awards and Voice of the Listener and Viewer Award in 2001.

He is a member of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and a United Kingdom advisory board member for the British-American Project, which exists to promote the British-American relationship.

On 31 December 2004, he appeared on a Radio 4 Hamish and Dougal Hogmanay special. He played Mrs. Naughtie's son.

Naughtie is married to Eleanor Updale, author of the award-winning "Montmorency" books and a former producer of "The World at One". [ [http://www.tellingtrails.co.uk/pages/individuals/updalepage.html Telling Trails - Eleanor Updale ] ] They have three children.

He succeeded Dame Diana Rigg as chancellor of the University of Stirling on 31 July 2008, when her current term ended.

"Today"

He has been known to let his left-of-centre views affect his interviews on the "Today" programme. One example is an infamous gaffe in April 2005, when he referred to the Labour Party as "we" in an interview with Ed Balls. [ [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/2005/03/02/come_again.html Come again? from Observer Blog ] ] [ [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/2005/03/02/come_again_once_more_with_feeling.html Come again? (once more with feeling) from Observer Blog ] ] [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005100313,00.html Naughtie pro-Labour gaffe | The Sun |HomePage|News ] ] He said: "If we win the election...", before hastily correcting it to "If you win the election." [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/JamesNaughtieWinningtheElec.mp3] Such political partiality contradicts the BBC's commitment to impartiality as stated in the BBC Charter. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/charter/pdf/charter_text.shtml ] Conservative ex-Cabinet minister Norman Tebbit said this of Naughtie’s gaffe: “How often a slip of the tongue betrays the true thoughts in the mind of the speaker. We could all see the shape of the cat in the bag, but Mr Naughtie has now let it out for all to see.”

It is also notable that Naughtie often manages to insert his personal and professional interest in opera into the programme. In December 2005 in a week when UK politics were consumed by two party leadership contests, Naughtie was covering the re-opening of La Scala.

Works

* Naughtie, James (2001). "The Rivals: The Intimate Story of a Political Marriage" Fourth Estate, ISBN 1-84115-473-3
* Naughtie, James (2004). "The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency" Macmillan, ISBN 1-4050-5001-2
* Naughtie, James (2007). "The Making Of Music" John Murray, ISBN 0719562546

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/about/meet/pres.shtml?naughtie BBC Presenter biographies - James Naughtie]
* [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst1514.html Overview of James Naughtie]

Persondata
NAME= Naughtie, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Naughtie, Jim
SHORT DESCRIPTION= British journalist
DATE OF BIRTH= 1952-8-9
PLACE OF BIRTH= Milltown of Rothiemay, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=