John Humphrys is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 17 August 1943, the son of a coal miner. Humphrys was educated at Cardiff High School and then at Oxford University, where he read Modern History. He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the Oxford Mail. He then moved to London, where he worked for the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Times.
In 1972, Humphrys joined the BBC as a reporter on the Nine O’Clock News. He went on to become a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. Humphrys has also presented a number of television programmes, including Panorama and Mastermind. He has won several awards for his journalism, including the Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Television Presenter in 1993.
Humphrys has an estimated net worth of £5 million. He is married to the former BBC newsreader Anna Ford. They have three children. ..
General Info
Full Name
John Humphrys
Profession
Journalist, Presenter
Education
Cardiff High School
Nationality
British
Family
Spouse
Edna Wilding
Children
Christopher Humphrys, Owen James, Catherine Humphrys
Parents
Edward George Humphrys, Winifred Mary Humphrys
Siblings
Bob Humphrys
Accomplishments
TV Shows
BBC Nine O'Clock News, Mastermind, Celebrity Mastermind, Question Time, Junior Mastermind, Mastermind (2003)
[on Mick Jagger] He's a really nice bloke. I thought he was going to be a bit of a... you know. But he was very pleasant.
2
You must reflect the population you serve, it seems to me. I just feel instinctively that if, say, 30, 40, 50, 60 per cent of journalists at the BBC were public school it wouldn't be right.
3
I don't like the idea that you absolutely have to have some media training. If you want to be a journalist, then what you need is an inquiring mind. Whether you can learn the skill of asking certain questions I doubt; that comes from experience. I personally think that a media studies degree is more harmful than helpful, and if I were recruiting for the Today programme I would prefer to have someone who had done their degree in history, economics, politics - whatever it happens to be - and then if necessary a year on one of the better postgraduate courses.
4
I do not express political opinions and nobody would be able to judge from my columns what my political views are. The BBC does not require its presenters not to have any views on anything, it requires its presenters not to make their own political views explicit, for very obvious reasons.
5
Far be it for me to be hugely immodest but I was voted political journalist of the year by politicians this year. I mean, it's a bit bizarre that the very people whom I am supposed to mercilessly pillory and savagely and ceaselessly attack should vote for me voluntarily in competition with every political hack in Britain. They can't think that I'm such an ogre.
6
I want to be able, if I've got kids in my car in the morning, taking them to school for instance, I want them to be able to listen to the BBC and I want not to be embarrassed by what they hear. Some of the stuff that Chris (Chris Moyles) does I find not grotesquely offensive, I mean it's not the kind of Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand stuff, obviously, but it's pub talk, and that's fine, but my view I suppose is, if I want to hear a few blokes talking in the pub, I'll go to a pub and hear them talking. I'm not quite sure why I need to hear that on the radio.
