| Trevor McDonald OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 August 1939 San Fernando, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Occupation | Journalist, Presenter, Newsreader |
| Other names | Sir Trevor McDonald |
| Title | Knight Bachelor, OBE |
| Spouse(s) | Josephine (?–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Ethnicity | African Caribbean Grenadian Trinbagonian |
| Notable credit(s) | News at Ten |
Sir Trevor McDonald OBE (born George McDonald on 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian-British newsreader and journalist. He had a long career as a news presenter with ITN. He is notable for having been the first black[1] news reader in the UK,[2] and for having won more awards than any other British broadcaster.[3]
McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism.[4]
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After working as a print and broadcast journalist in Trinidad during the 1960s, in 1969 McDonald was employed by BBC Radio as a producer, based in London but still broadcasting to the Caribbean.[4] In 1973 he began his long association with Independent Television News, first as a general reporter, later as a sports correspondent, but ultimately concentrating on international politics. In the 1980s he spent some time with Channel 4 News,[4] but returned to ITN in 1989, presenting the early-evening news.[5]
McDonald was promoted in 1992 as the sole presenter of News at Ten, where he became one of the best known faces on British television screens. McDonald stayed with ITN when News at Ten was axed in 1999, moving to present the new ITV Evening News. News at Ten was briefly relaunched in 2001, to which McDonald returned to presenting. He presented the ITV News at 10.30 following News at Ten's second axing.
From 1999-2009, McDonald hosted ITV's flagship current affairs programme Tonight with Trevor McDonald.
On 29 November 2005, speculation that McDonald was about to leave ITV to work elsewhere ended when he signed a further two year contract involving producing both a documentary show and a new series of interviews which will be of a wider general interest.
McDonald presented his last ITV News bulletin on 15 December 2005. The veteran newsreader stepped down from his role as anchor after more than 30 years at ITN, but said he had no plans to retire completely from television. At the end of the final programme, newsreader Trevor McDonald sign off with the words: That brings to an end my association with the news at 10.30. Thank you for watching. Over the opening and closing titles of the bulletin McDonald presented, the November 1992 to March 1999 ITV News at Ten theme, as a tribute to McDonald.[6]
On 31 October 2007, ITV announced that, early in 2008, McDonald would come out of retirement to present the relaunched News at Ten together with Julie Etchingham.[7] He told a newspaper: "I couldn’t turn down the move back to that iconic time slot."[8] News at Ten began broadcasting once again on 14 January 2008.[9]
It was announced on the 30 October 2008 that McDonald would step down from News at Ten once the US 2008 Presidential elections were over, to be replaced by Mark Austin.[10] His last bulletin was on 20 November 2008. He continues to present links for The Tonight Programme.
McDonald holds Honorary Degrees from the University of Plymouth and Liverpool John Moores University. In 1993, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's honours list. He received a knighthood in 1999 for his services to journalism.[4] He was awarded with a BAFTA fellowship at the 2011 British Academy Television Awards.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hon. Christopher McLaren |
Chancellor of London South Bank University 1999–present |
Incumbent |