George Alagiah

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George Maxwell Alagiah (born November 22, 1955 in Sri Lanka) is a newsreader on BBC Television in the UK. He currently co-presents the Six O'Clock News with Natasha Kaplinsky. He has been the main presenter of BBC World's World News Today programme since its launch.

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[edit] Background

The Alagiah family were originally from Sri Lanka and are ethnic minority Tamils, where George was born, but his parents moved to Ghana in Africa, where George grew up from the age of five. 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. 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.

He returned to his Grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami to survey the damage left. The home had been destroyed, though an old well George recalled playing around with his sisters as a child was still recognisable, though unsalvagable.

[edit] Broadcasting career

Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 after seven years in print journalism with South Magazine.

George Alagiah joined the BBC's Six O'Clock News in January 2003, which he co-presents with Natasha Kaplinsky.

In March 2002, he launched BBC Four's international news programme.

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 and Sierra Leone.

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.

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 reported on the last reunion of the veterans of Dunkirk.

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, later replaced by The World, although he had already moved to present the BBC Six O'Clock News in January 2003 with Sophie Raworth. Since July 3, 2006, he has presented a new hour-long programme on BBC World, World News Today.

George 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 is also a member of the board of trustees of the UK-based human rights organization, ARTICLE 19.

[edit] Broadcasting style

When emphasising a significant or sinister piece of information, George tends to rock his head backwards and forwards similar to Michael Buerk and Jane Hill. It mainly occurs towards the end of a sentence or phrase.

[edit] External links

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