Sideways News

BBC journalist, George Alagiah, has reported on events from each corner of the world

Accompanying footage of the wrecked streets of Haiti is a familiar voice. George Alagiah OBE, the BBC Six O'Clock News presenter and journalist who has reported from scenes of the worst disasters of the past decade. New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Pakistan following the south Asian earthquake and Sri Lanka, where he stood outside the remnants of his childhood home, post the Asian Tsunami of 2004.

Alagiah was born in Columbo, Sri Lanka, in 1955. His parents, both Tamils, moved their family to Ghana, Africa in 1961 where he went to primary school. Alagiah attended a boarding secondary school in England and then Durham University.

In 1982 he joined South Magazine as a journalist, before joining the BBC in 1989 as Developing World Correspondent, later becoming the BBC’s South Africa Correspondent. Alagiah started reporting for the BBC Six O'Clock News in January 2003.

Already established as one of the world’s leading foreign correspondents, Alagiah reported on the Rwandan genocide, civil war in Afghanistan, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Kosovan refugee crisis and apartheid in South Africa.

Since becoming a news reporter, Alagiah has continued to file reports from every corner of the globe, including his factual and thoughtful coverage of the developing world’s major humanitarian crises. 

He has won a host of awards, including TV personality of the year in 1998 at the Ethnic Minority Media Awards.

It is perhaps Alagiah’s upbringing that has contributed to his compassion for the developing world. He hosts or lends his support to a raft of major charitable events, conferences and organisations. Speaking at a conference in 2008 about his support for the NHS Alagiah said:

“I appreciate it as a former foreign correspondent, having come from the poor world to the rich world, and having spent most of my working life in countries where people wish they had something like the NHS."

Alagiah also publicly supported the fairtrade foundation, becoming its patron. However, impartiality fears in August of 2009 (when Alagiah was due to present a BBC series entitled, The Future Of Food) forced him to step down from his role.

He was awarded an OBE in the 2008 New Year honours.

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