List of ITV journalists and newsreaders

As the oldest commercial television network in the UK, ITV has employed many journalists and newsreaders to present its news programmes as well as to provide news reports and interviews during its history.

Since the ITV network began, Independent Television News Limited (ITN) has held the contract to produce national and international news for it. Meanwhile, the regional ITV stations have provided local news programmes tailored for regional audiences.

A

  • Christa Ackroyd – presenter on Calendar during the 1990s; she left to join the BBC's Look North.
  • Kaye Adams – journalist on Central Television; later presenter on Scottish TV.
  • Jonathan Aitken - presenter on Yorkshire Television's Calendar from 1968 until 1970: he was the first person to be seen on screen when the station launched. He later participated in the relaunch of TV-am in 1983, but he is best-known as a Conservative politician, originally for Thanet from 1974 and later for South Thanet.
  • Sameena Ali-Khan – presenter on ITV Central; presented the ITV Weekend News on occasions in 2006
  • Eamonn Andrews - main presenter of Thames Television's 'Today' programme during the 1960s and 1970s. He was also a sports presenter and commentator, and was the first-ever presenter of ITV's 'World of Sport', but he was best known as the host of This Is Your Life, Crackerjack and What's My Line? He died in 1987.
  • Jo Andrews – former political correspondent and Deputy Political Editor at ITN
  • Fiona Armstrong – presenter for Border Television's regional news programme Lookaround; later a newscaster on ITN's News at Ten
  • Pamela Armstrong – ITN newscaster, 1983–1986.
  • Toni Arthur - occasional presenter on TV-am during the 1980s. She is best-known as a presenter on the BBC children's series Playschool and Play Away during the 1970s.
  • Mark Austin – former main presenter of ITV Evening News and ITV News at Ten; since joining ITN (on ITV) in 1986, having previously worked on BBC news programmes; has specialised in a variety of roles including sports reporter, foreign correspondent, and then newscaster for Channel 4 News
  • Lisa Aziz – former co-presenter for ITV Westcountry and news presenter on TV-am

B

  • Zeinab Badawi – first presenter of the ITV News at 5:30 and co-presented Channel 4 News for several years, before joining BBC News
  • Llewella Bailey
  • Faye Barker – main newscaster for ITV News London at 5:30, January 2009 – December 2012; continues to work with ITN across ITV London and ITV News output
  • Carol Barnes – worked for ITN, 1975–2004, as both reporter and newscaster; died in March 2008
  • Gaynor Barnes – presenter and journalist employed by ITV Yorkshire since 1991
  • Felicity Barr – first female sports correspondent for ITV News in 2001
  • Martin Bashir – left BBC in 1999 to join ITV, working on special documentary programmes and features for Tonight. He rejoined the BBC in 2016 as their Religious Affairs Correspondent.
  • Seán Batty – meteorologist, currently working for STV
  • Andrea Benfield – journalist and presenter, ITV News: Wales at Six
  • Sangeeta Bhabra - journalist and presenter, ITV Meridian
  • Sally Biddulph – reporter and newsreader at ITV News Central and political correspondent for Thames Valley Tonight in Westminster; joined ITN in 2009 as news correspondent, political correspondent and presenter on ITV News at 5:30, ITV News at 1:30 and ITV News Saturday prime-time bulletins; newsreader for ITV News London since 2014.
  • David Bobin - sports presenter and reporter for Westward Television, TVS and Meridian Television. He was also a main anchor on TVS's Coast To Coast. He died in 2017.
  • Reginald Bosanquet – best known for presenting ITN bulletins in the 1970s; joined ITN at its start in 1955 as a sub-editor; later reported from many parts of the world and was the diplomatic correspondent for four years; held the 'head anchor' title at ITN between 1974 and 1976, in the absence of Alastair Burnet; died in 1984; son of the cricketer Bernard Bosanquet, who famously invented the 'googly'.
  • Adam Boulton - political editor for TV-am during the 1980s. He later joined Sky News.
  • Tom BradbyITV News' political editor, July 2005 – October 2015; joined ITN as an editorial trainee in 1990 and subsequently became producer for Michael Brunson, ITN's political editor, in 1992; Ireland correspondent 1993–1996; Asia correspondent 1999–2001; then Royal correspondent for ITV News; subsequently became UK editor before taking up the post of political editor; gave up his position as political editor in October 2015 to become sole anchor of ITV News at Ten
  • Colin Brazier – reporter on ITV
  • Fern Britton – television presenter, former co-anchor of the Southampton edition of TVS local news programme Coast To Coast, best known as co-presenter for ITV magazine programme This Morning, 1999–2009
  • Antony Brown (born 1922) – newsreader in the 1950s and 1960s. Announced the assassination of President Kennedy. Co-author of historical fiction with Norman MacKenzie under the joint pseudonym 'Anthony Forrest'. Father of the BBC News presenter Ben Brown.[1][2]
  • Michael Brunson – Washington correspondent and diplomatic editor of ITN; best known for serving as the political editor between 1986 and 2000 and as an occasional ITN newscaster..
  • Lynda Bryans – weekend newscaster on UTV Live, 2001–2005.
  • Kay Burley - newsreader, reporter and occasional main presenter on TV-am from 1985 until 1988. She left to join the then-fledgling Sky News.
  • Sir Alastair Burnet – main presenter of News at Ten and ITN election programmes from the early 1960s until his retirement in 1991; held the 'head anchor' title at ITN from 1967 (the year News at Ten was launched) until 1991, except between 1972 and 1976 when he presented for the BBC and became editor of the Daily Express; knighted as a Knight Bachelor in early 1984; died in July 2012.
  • Gordon Burns - joined Ulster Television in his native Belfast in 1967 as a sports presenter, later presenting the station's flagship programme UTV Reports. He then moved to Granada Television, where he presented Granada Reports and also worked on World In Action in the 1970s, but he is best known as the long-serving host of Granada's prestigious quiz The Krypton Factor from 1977 until 1995. He joined BBC North West in 1997, becoming the main anchor on North West Tonight until his retirement in 2011.
  • Andrea Byrne

C

  • Andrea Catherwood – former main presenter for ITV's weekend news bulletins; joined ITN in April 1998, starting as a newscaster and senior reporter; in these early years, she also presented the ITN Morning News and filed special reports for News at Ten; became medical correspondent; left ITN in September 2006 to front the short-lived political programme The Sunday Edition
  • David Chater – award-winning former ITN international correspondent; joined Sky News in 1993
  • Christopher Chataway
  • Ros Childs
  • Paul Clark – UTV Live presenter.
  • Paul Coia - the first-ever continuity announcer on Channel 4 in 1982. He had previously been a continuity announcer for Scottish Television, and has since presented a number of TV and radio programmes, including the BBC's Pebble Mill At One and Catchword. He is married to fellow-broadcaster Debbie Greenwood.
  • Stephen Cole – reporter for Central Television, Anglia Television's About Anglia and ITN.
  • Brian Connell - ITN newscaster during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He died in 1999.
  • Dominic Cotton
  • Bob Crampton – long-serving presenter and weather forecaster on ITV1 West, formerly HTV West, from 1983 until his retirement in 2018.
  • Sarah Cullen – former ITN Home Affairs Correspondent

D

E

F

  • Peter Fairley – Science Editor for Independent Television News and TV Times magazine in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
  • Judy Finnigan - originally a researcher at Granada Television from 1971, she joined Anglia Television in 1974 as its first female reporter. She returned to Granada in 1980 as a reporter and presenter on Granada Reports. She is best known for presenting This Morning from its inception in 1988 until 2001, then Richard and Judy on Channel 4 from 2001 until 2008, both of these alongside her husband, Richard Madeley.
  • Anna Ford – initially worked as a researcher, news reporter and later newsreader at Granada Television; became a newsreader with ITN, and later helped launch ITV's first breakfast television service, TV-am
  • Fiona Foster
  • Matt Frei – Europe editor for Channel 4 News.
  • David Frost - one of the original presenters of TV-am on its launch in 1983. He then presented 'Frost on Sunday' until 1992, before moving to the BBC to present Breakfast with Frost, which ran from 1993 until 2005. He died in 2013.

G

H

I

  • John Irvine – ITN's Washington correspondent; before joining ITN in 1994 as a Northern Ireland correspondent, worked for UTV News.
  • Jayne Irving - worked on Good Morning Britain from 1983 until 1986, originally reading the news bulletins, then as a main anchor. She left to join the BBC, where she presented Open Air from 1986 until 1990.

J

  • Catherine Jacob – editorial trainee at ITN from September 2000; news presenter for Granada Reports and ITV News Tyne Tees in 2013
  • Becky Jago - News presenter at ITV Anglia.
  • Peter Jay - main presenter of Weekend World from 1972–77, he then became the founding chairman of TV AM in 1983. He later joined the BBC.
  • Sally Jones (journalist) - reporter for Westward Television, later becoming a main co-presenter on Central News during the early 1980s - she also reported for ITN during this period. She left to join BBC Breakfast in 1986 and became a Real Tennis world champion in 1993 - she also won the British and US Open Championships.

K

L

  • Alastair Layzell – produced and directed documentaries for ITV network including Summer 1940, the story of the German occupation of the Channel Islands
  • Stephen Lee
  • Jan Leeming – presenter and reporter for Westward Television during the 1960s and a presenter on HTV News West during the 1970s, before becoming a newsreader for the BBC
  • Martyn Lewis – news presenter for HTV and then ITN, where he was a regular presenter for News at Ten; joined the BBC in 1986 to front the new One O'Clock News.
  • Peter Lewis (announcer) - continuity announcer for London Weekend Television from its inception in 1968 until his departure in 1997: he became their chief announcer in 1977. He was also an announcer for Yorkshire Television and HTV West, and he was a regular newsreader on 'London News Headlines' for LWT from 1982 until 1988.
  • Terry Lloyd – Middle East reporter; killed by US troops in 2003 while covering the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
  • Jasmine Lowson

M

N

  • Jennifer Nadel – ITN's Home Affairs Editor, 1994–1999
  • Shereen Nanjiani
  • Nina Nannar
  • Bill Neely – joined ITN in 1989, was Washington Correspondent for 6 years, Europe Correspondent for 5, International Editor for 12; covered many events including the fall of the Berlin Wall, break-up of the Soviet Union, both Gulf Wars, and September 11 attacks; left in 2014 to join NBC News
  • Mike Neville – joined Tyne Tees Television in 1959 as a young reporter; later became presenter of regional news programme before leaving for the BBC; returned to ITV in 1996 with his own programme on Tyne Tees until 2005. He died in 2017.
  • Gary Newbon
  • Jeremy Nicholas
  • Michael Nicholson – former ITN senior foreign correspondent and newscaster; original host of ITN News at 5:45 when it was introduced in 1976; died in December 2016
  • Nicol Nicolson
  • Mary Nightingale – main newscaster on ITV Evening News; joined ITV News in January 2001 and has since presented both the 6:30 pm bulletin as well as special ITN programmes on ITV

O

P

R

S

  • Brent Sadler - joined ITN in 1981 as a news reporter, before being promoted to the position of Middle East Correspondent. He left to join CNN in 1991.
  • Annie St John - announcer for HTV West, Tyne Tees and LWT during the 1980s, and later a main presenter on HTV News West. She died from a drugs overdose in 1990.
  • Angus Scott - regular sports presenter for HTV during the 1980s and 1990s: he frequently presented sports news on HTV News. He is the brother of Steve Scott.
  • Mike Scott - reporter and presenter on World In Action and Granada's local news programmes: he was the company's programme controller from 1979 until 1987. He was probably best known for hosting The Time, The Place from 1987 until 1993, in rotation with John Stapleton. Scott died in 2008.
  • Selina Scott – presenter of Grampian Today; in 1980 moved to ITN to replace Anna Ford on News at Ten; left to present the BBC's Breakfast Time; later co-hosted The Clothes Show
  • Steve Scott – sports editor and newscaster for ITV News from ITN; began his television career as Industrial Correspondent with West Tonight on ITV West; joined ITN in 1993. He is married to the former HTV News presenter Patricia Yorston, and is also the brother of Angus Scott.
  • Ben Shephard - main presenter on Good Morning Britain since 2014. He was previously a presenter on GMTV and GMTV Today from 2000 until 2010, and he has also hosted quiz shows, including The Krypton Factor, Tipping Point and 1 vs. 100.
  • Chris Ship – Royal Editor for ITV News and occasional weekend news presenter
  • Peter Sissons – joined ITN in 1964 and became their Industrial Editor after being wounded covering the Nigerian Civil War; became alternate presenter of the News at One in 1976; presented the first edition of Channel 4 News in 1982; left in 1989 to join BBC News. He died in 2019.
  • Penny Smith - long-serving newsreader on GMTV, from 1993 until 2010. She had previously been a newsreader on Border Television's Lookaround, on Thames News, and on Sky News at its inception in 1989. She also co-hosted the last series of The Krypton Factor alongside Gordon Burns.
  • Jon Snow – journalist and presenter for ITN, best known for presenting Channel 4 News since 1989; cousin of fellow-journalist Peter Snow.
  • Peter Snow - joined ITN as a newscaster in 1962, later working as a foreign correspondent and Defence and Diplomatic Correspondent during the 1960s and 1970s. He was also a regular analyst and co-presenter on ITN's election programmes during this period. He joined the BBC in 1979 as the first main anchor of Newsnight, which he presented from 1980 until 1997. During this time, he became especially famous for his use of the Swingometer during the BBC's election coverage. He later co-presented Tomorrow's World and also a number of history programmes, the latter normally with his historian son, Dan Snow. He is also the cousin of fellow-journalist Jon Snow.
  • Julia Somerville – joined ITN in 1987 to co-present the Lunchtime News; presenter of ITV News at Ten until it ended in 1999; remained at ITN until October 2001, presenting the ITV News at 1:30 and was the launch newscaster for the ITN News Channel
  • Judi Spiers - Regular presenter and announcer, initially for Westward Television, then TSW, from 1977 until 1991, when she left to join the BBC.
  • Alastair Stewart – Main newscaster on ITV Lunchtime News, relief newscaster on ITV Evening News and relief newscaster on ITV News at Ten
  • Ian Stirling (broadcaster) - long-serving announcer and presenter on Westward Television, TSW and Westcountry Television. He died in 2005.
  • Janet Street-Porter – joined LWT in 1975; reporter on The London Weekend Show from 1975 until 1979
  • John Suchet – newsreader for ITN, 1972–2004; reporter, 1972–1982, when he became a weekend news presenter; main lunchtime presenter, 1987–1992; best known for his presenting the ITV News at 6:30, 1992–1999; during these years he was also a relief presenter for News at Ten; retired from ITN in 2004; brother of the actor David Suchet

T

V

  • Geraint Vincent – political correspondent for HTV's Wales Tonight; joined ITN in April 2002 as a news correspondent for ITV News; presented ITV News at 6:30 and ITV News at Ten; Middle East Correspondent for ITV News

W

Y

References

  1. Wang, Arthur W. "Norman MacKenzie and Antony Brown". Beinecke Library. Yale University. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. Burrell, Ian (6 November 2005). "Ben Brown: 'I am lucky to be alive'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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