Sir Trevor McDonald Biography

He joined the Caribbean regional service of the BBC World Service, in 1960, as a producer, before moving to London at the end of that decade, to work for the corporation (BBC Radio, London).

Moving to Independent Television News (ITN) in 1973, he rose steadily through the ranks. He served as news, sports and diplomatic correspondent, before moving on to become diplomatic editor and newscaster.

Sir Trevor first came to public attention as an ITN newsreader in the late 1970s. Lampooned by comedian Lenny Henry on Saturday morning children’s programme, TISWAS, he soon became a household favourite.

Twice voted Newscaster of the year, McDonald is perceived as the face of ITN, after years of fronting its flagship 'News at Ten' bulletin.

Because of his extreme visibility, as one of still few black media professionals in the public eye, he has been criticized for not using his position more overtly to combat racism and discrimination.

However, as he argued the point in the Radio Times, although he is aware of "racial undercurrents in this country...I have been very lucky and found none at all."

An accomplished journalist, he has penned several books, including biographies of cricketers Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. His own autobiography, 'Fortunate Circumstances', was published in 1993.

He has been married twice and has three children. He was knighted in 1999. Sir Trevor is said to be extremely passionate about cricket and lives in southwest London with his family.