Tim Willcox

Tim Willcox

Tim Willcox pictured in 2011.
Born (1963-05-28) 28 May 1963
Education Taunton School
Alma mater University of Durham
Occupation Journalist, Presenter, Newsreader, Writer, Producer
Notable credit(s) ITV News
BBC News
BBC World News
World News Today
BBC News at Five
Global (programme)
BBC Weekend News
Spouse(s) Sarah (divorced)
Children 3 (Sophia born 1997)(George born 1998) (Tom born 1999)

Tim Willcox (born 1963) is a British journalist for BBC News, where he presents news bulletins on BBC One, BBC News and BBC World News. Generally a relief presenter for the BBC, he is probably most recognisable for presenting the BBC's live coverage from Chile during events surrounding the Copiapó mining accident[1] and anchoring the BBC's live day time coverage during the early days of the Cairo January 2011 Egyptian revolution.[2]

Early life

Willcox was educated at Taunton School in Somerset, and St Chad's College, Durham University where he studied Spanish.[3] Wilcox was a member of the British Youth Orchestra, playing the trumpet.

Career

Willcox started in newspaper journalism, working for Mirror Group Newspapers and Fleet Street News Agency).[3]

As a broadcast journalist, Willcox worked for ITN News for many years as a presenter and correspondent. He was the network's Arts and Media Correspondent, and after joining the news team presented the networks live reports from New York City during the 11 September terrorist attacks.[3]

Since joining the BBC, Willcox has been an anchor on the BBC's rolling news channel BBC News where he can be seen presenting bulletins at weekends. He is a regular Friday presenter on World News Today on BBC Four, BBC World News and the BBC News Channel. He can also be seen presenting on BBC World News as a relief presenter.

In September 2010, Willcox travelled to Chile to report for BBC News on the attempts to rescue the miners trapped underground after the Copiapó mining accident.[4] In October 2010 he did extensive live coverage of the operation to bring the trapped miners back to the surface, and interviewed Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.[5] He is to play himself in a film about the Copiapó mining accident and began filming in February 2014.

In March 2011, Willcox played a significant role in reporting the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, reporting live for the BBC from the disaster zone and then just a few weeks later reporting from Libya on the 2011 Libyan civil war.[6]

Other work

Willcox has written, produced and presented a number of documentaries for Channel 4 and Channel 5. These include;

In addition to his work as a journalist, Willcox has made cameo acting appearances in a number of television dramas and films. These include roles in Sex Traffic, State of Play, Jonathan Creek, 102 Dalmatians, The 33, Clueless[3] and the BAFTA winning documentary How to Start a Revolution.

Allegations of antisemitism

Willcox has twice been accused of antisemitism for his on-air comments.

On 8 November 2014, Willcox stated that the Labour Party would lose funding from Jewish sources because "a lot of these prominent Jewish faces will be very much against the mansion tax". The tax refers to a Labour proposal for an additional tax on properties worth $3.5 million or more.[7]

At a unity rally on 11 January 2015 after 17 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Paris, many of them Jews, Willcox, while interviewing a Jewish woman who was explaining that Jews live in fear in France, interrupted her saying that "Many, many, many, many critics though, of Israel’s policy would suggest that the Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well". [8] This question was criticised by many including historian and BBC presenter Simon Schama, Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard and The Campaign Against Antisemitism as antisemitic for assigning collective responsibility of Israel's actions to all Jews.[9][10][11] The woman was later identified as the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Willcox apologised the next day on Twitter, saying his question had been "poorly phrased".[8]

Personal life

Willcox was married to Sarah, and the couple had three children together. In November 2012, it was widely reported that Willcox was having an affair with BBC colleague Sophie Long.[12][13][14][15][16] In January 2015 it was reported that Wilcox was in a relationship with Tessa Hardy and was no longer involved with Sophie Long.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Lydall, Ross (14 October 2010). "BBC's £100,000 on Chile rescue leaves it short to cover G20". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Hutchison, Tom (20 April 2010). "Volcanic ash cloud travel chaos: Brit spends £8,000 on getting his family home". Daily Star (Northern and Shell). Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Profile – Tim Willcox Newswatch, BBC News, 7 July 2006
  4. ↑ The camp that has sprung up above trapped Chile miners BBC News, 25 September 2010
  5. ↑ "All 33 Chilean miners rescued". Washington Post. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  6. ↑ Willcox, Tim (16 March 2011). "Designing buildings to survive natural disasters". BBC News. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  7. ↑ "BBC Panel Discussion of Wealthy Jews Ripped Over Anti-Semitic Stereotypes". Algemeiner.
  8. 1 2 Selby, Jenn (12 January 2015). "Tim Willcox apologises to daughter of Holocaust survivor at Paris rally for saying 'Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well'". The Independent.
  9. ↑ Bernstein, David (12 January 2015). "The BBC’s Tim Willcox projects the last two hundred years of European anti-Jewish ideology on an elderly French woman". The Washington Post.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Tom (12 January 2015). "BBC Reporter Blames Jews for European Anti-Semitism". Commentary.
  11. ↑ Crossley, Lucy (12 January 2015). "BBC reporter faces calls to resign after he tells daughter of Holocaust survivors after Paris attacks: 'Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well'". Daily Mail.
  12. ↑ GREENHILL.S., DOLAN .A. and SALKELD.L. (26 November 2012). "Husband of married BBC star Sophie Long 'devastated' after she dumps him for newsreader Tim Willcox (who's a married father of four)" Mail Online. Retrieved 16.08.2013
  13. ↑ "Husband of newsreader 'devastated' after she dumps him for co-presenter". Telegraph Online. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2013
  14. ↑ Davies, Barbara (1 December 2012). "Pictured on her wedding day: Sophie Long, her BBC lover and his unsuspecting wife" Nigeria News. Retrieved 16 August 2013
  15. ↑ Boyle, Simon (2012), "BBC current affair: Bosses tell news presenter lovers 'not to appear on screen together'", Mirror Online, retrieved 2013-08-16
  16. ↑ "Sophie Long keeps up the low profile on Tim Willcox affair", Standard Online, 2012, retrieved 2013-08-16
  17. ↑ "Sophie Long keeps up the low profile on Tim Willcox affair", Daily Mail, 2015
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