Bryan Swanson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bryan Swanson (born 1980 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a British television reporter.
Swanson was educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh and left at the age of 17, in his final year, to become a sports reporter/presenter for local cable channel Edinburgh L!ve TV (owned by Mirror Television). A year later, Swanson moved to Manchester and became a reporter/presenter for Manchester United Television (MUTV).
In August 1999, he moved to Newcastle, and became the youngest ever sports reporter/presenter on ITV1 Tyne Tees, where he presented on North East Tonight with Mike Neville from 2000. He received a Commendation in the Most Promising Newcomer category by the Royal Television Society (North East & Border).
Swanson joined Sky Sports News in July 2003, initially as North East Correspondent in Newcastle but relocated to London in March 2004, where he works on foreign assignments for Sky Sports' UEFA Champions League coverage. He was a reporter at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
His enthusiastic reports prompted a TV critic for the Daily Mirror, a British tabloid newspaper, to write: "(Swanson's) the kind of guy who would keep broadcasting and smiling even if tied into a helicopter plummeting to earth."[citation needed]
On 11 May 2006, the 'London Evening Standard' newspaper reported that Swanson "nearly broke his nose and required immediate medical attention" before Crystal Palace's play-off match, at home, against Watford. Swanson was reported to be checking his notes near the Selhurst Park dugout when he was "struck full in the face by a football kicked with ferocious force from an unknown direction. Blood started pouring from a wound in Swanson's nose."
The newspaper added: "After Sky started their coverage without a touchline reporter, Swanson gamely returned to do his job, showing more bravery than the mystery player who failed to admit his guilt."
In January 2007, Swanson spent a week in Madrid for Sky Sports News and reported on David Beckham's new contract with LA Galaxy. He was also a studio guest on Real Madrid TV's 'Extra Time' programme.