George Alagiah, Award-Winning BBC Journalist and News Anchor, Dies at 67

Alex Ritman
·2 min read
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George Alagiah, one of the BBC’s longest serving journalists and a fixture on U.K. TV news for more than three decades, has died. He was 67.

The BBC confirmed that Alagiah — who had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014 — passed away on Monday, July 24.

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“Across the BBC, we are all incredibly sad to hear the news about George. We are thinking of his family at this time,” said BBC director-general Tim Davie.

“George was one of the best and bravest journalists of his generation who reported fearlessly from across the world as well as presenting the news flawlessly. He was more than just an outstanding journalist, audiences could sense his kindness, empathy and wonderful humanity. He was loved by all and we will miss him enormously.”

Born in Sri Lanka before moving to Ghana and then England in childhood, Alagiah joined the BBC as a foreign affairs correspondent in 1989 and then became Africa correspondent. A multi-award-winning journalist, he won accolades for his reports on the famine and war in Somalia in the early 1990s, and was nominated for a BAFTA in 1994 for covering Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaign against the Kurds of northern Iraq.

He was named Amnesty International’s journalist of the year in 1994 for reporting on the civil war in Burundi and also won the Broadcasting Press Guild’s award for television journalist of the year.

Later, Alagiah presented the BBC One O’Clock News, Nine O’Clock News and BBC Four News, before being made one of the main hosts of the BBC News at Six in 2003. George also presented his own show on BBC World News for many years.

He was appointed an OBE for services to journalism in 2008.

George was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014 and returned to presenting the following year. He continued to present for the BBC when not receiving treatment.

He had two sons with his wife of 40 years, Frances Robathan, and three grandchildren.

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