Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

George Alagiah

Role / Field:

British newsreader and journalist known for his work with the BBC.

Born:

1955-11-22

Died:

2023-07-24

Century / Era:

1955s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

George Maxwell Alagiah (; 22 November 1955 – 24 July 2023) was a British newsreader, journalist and television presenter for the BBC. From 2007 until 2022, he was the presenter of the BBC News at Six and the main presenter of GMT on BBC World News from its launch in 2010 until 2014. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. George Maxwell Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon, on 22 November 1955.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His parents, Donald Ratnarajah Alagiah (c. 1925–2013), a civil engineer, later a public health engineering consultant for the World Health Organization, and Therese Karunaiamma (née Santiapillai; died 1996), were Ceylon Tamils. In 1961, his parents moved to Ghana in West Africa, where he had his primary education at Christ the King International School. He had four sisters. His secondary education took place at St John's College, an independent Roman Catholic school in Portsmouth, England, after which he studied politics at Van Mildert College, Durham University.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

While at Durham, he wrote for and became editor of the student newspaper Palatinate and was a sabbatical officer of Durham Students' Union.

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• 1955 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1955
• November 22 (11-22) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on November 22
• 2023 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2023
• July 24 (07-24) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on July 24

Frequently Asked Questions about George Alagiah