Anna Botting

Anna Botting
Born Anna Botting
4 November 1967
Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Education St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Cardiff University
Occupation Newsreader
Notable credit(s) Sky News

Anna Elizabeth Botting (born 4 November 1967) is an award winning British news presenter with Sky News, a broadcasting network based in the United Kingdom. She currently presents Sky News from 21:00-midnight from Monday to Thursday.[1] Prior to the channel's rescheduling in July 2006, Botting presented The Sky Report and from then until February 2007, she presented Sky News from 18:00-20:00 alongside Jeremy Thompson.

Background

Botting, born in Surrey, is the daughter of Douglas Botting, explorer and author, and Louise Botting, CBE, broadcaster and company director. She studied Geography at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University,[2] before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. She took a post-graduate course in journalism at Cardiff University, before starting work in Manchester as a researcher for a social action show for Granada Television. In 1991, Botting took a job with BBC North as a reporter for radio and TV. From here she became presenter for the flagship news programme, Look North.

Botting joined Sky News in 1995, meaning that she is now one of the network's longest serving presenters. She has presented a wide range of programmes on Sky, including: Sky News Today, Sky News at Ten, Live at Five, Sky News Tonight and The Sky Report.

Career at Sky

Anna Botting joined Sky News in 1995 as a reporter, before moving into the studio to anchor the news.[3] During the 1997 election Botting shadowed Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, day-in day-out, for the whole six weeks of the campaign. She was also the first journalist to arrive at Kensington Palace on the day Diana, Princess of Wales died.

Botting also covered the death of Pope John Paul II[4] and anchored coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from the studio. She was presenting on air when Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was ousted from office.

In Summer 2006, whilst anchoring from Israel, Botting interviewed the British member of parliament, George Galloway about the Israel-Lebanon war. Galloway criticised Sky News, News Corporation and Botting in person for being biased towards Israel.[5]

Anna Botting notably won the Royal Television Society's news presenter of the year award in May 2012 and became the second woman to do so.;[6] this followed her return from Japan and location anchoring work for Sky News following the tsunami of March 2011. She reported from Fukushima Nuclear Power Station and North West Honshu Island in the aftermath of the disaster. Botting also anchored on location during the fall of Tripoli in 2011.

Botting had notably worked alongside the deceased ([7] 2008) Sky veteran Bob Friend before her popular partnership with Jeremy Thompson on Live at Five took off.

Botting appeared as herself in the 2014 science fiction action film Edge of Tomorrow, which stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

Personal life

A keen rower during her time at University, Botting took part in BBC Three’s The Other Boat Race. She was one of twelve celebrities and former Oxbridge students trained and competed in their own version of the world’s most illustrious rowing event.[8] Anna, captaining the Oxford crew, led her team to victory.

Anna lives in Surrey with her partner Nick Purdue.[9] In May 2012, she went on maternity leave and her replacement was Anna Jones. Botting returned to Sky News full-time on 29 April 2013 but as at November 2014 is again on maternity leave expecting child number 2.

References

  1. "SkyPressOffice profile of Anna Botting". Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  2. "St Edmund Hall, Oxford University: Famous Graduates". Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  3. "My Mentor: Anna Botting on Jeremy Bowen". London: The Independent. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  4. Pike, Caitlin (8 April 2005). "It was breaking news, but the TV companies had it planned for years". Press Gazette. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  5. "Sky's Anna Botting Takes On Galloway". Sky News Video. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  6. http://skynews.skypressoffice.co.uk/biographies/news-presenters/anna-botting
  7. Bob Friend (newscaster)
  8. "The Other Boat Race". BBC News. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  9. McCormack, Kirsty (7 May 2012). "Anna Botting pregnant". London: Mail Online. Retrieved 13 October 2013.

External links

Preceded by
Jon Snow
RTS: Television Journalism
Presenter of the Year

2012
Succeeded by
Incumbent