Who is George Alagiah? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In November

Also Known As: George Maxwell Alagiah

Age: 68 Years, 68 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Frances Robathan

father: Donald Alagiah

mother: Therese Alagiah

children: Adam Alagiah, Matthew Alagiah

Born Country: England

Journalists British Men

More Facts

education: Durham University

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1

Where did George Alagiah grow up?

George Alagiah was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and spent his early childhood there before moving to Ghana.
2

What was George Alagiah's educational background?

George Alagiah studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Van College, Oxford.
3

When did George Alagiah join the BBC?

George Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 as a foreign correspondent, covering events across Africa and Asia.
4

Did George Alagiah author any books?

Yes, George Alagiah authored a book titled "A Passage to Africa," which recounts his experiences as a journalist covering events in Africa.
5

What health challenges did George Alagiah face?

George Alagiah battled colorectal cancer and was open about his experiences with the disease, raising awareness about cancer screening and treatment. Unfortunately, he passed away battling the disease.

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Childhood & Early Life

George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka to parents Donald and Therese Alagiah on November 22, 1955. He was the third of five children her sisters being: Mari, Rachel, Christine, and Jennifer.

When he was six, his parents moved to Ghana, West Africa to avoid persecution. There he began attending ‘Christ the King International’, a primary school.

Starting in 1966, he went to secondary school in Portsmouth, England at ‘St. John’s College’.

He received a degree in political science from the ‘Van Mildert College’ at ‘Durham University’.

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Career

During his time at the university, Alagiah became familiar with the journalism world on a small scale as a writer and editor of the student newspaper ‘Palatinate’.

From 1982 to 1989, he worked for ‘South Magazine’. Initially an African correspondent in Zimbabwe, he was later promoted to the position of editor.

Upon joining the BBC, Alagiah was stationed in London as the station's first “developing world” correspondent. He was later transferred to a position in Johannesburg as a journalist in the South African division.

As a foreign correspondent, he created stories about challenging topics such as genocide in Rwanda, civil war in the Middle East, and the terrorist attacks perpetrated against New York City.

Starting in 1999, he was deputy anchor for ‘BBC News at One’ and ‘BBC News at Nine’.

He pioneered an international news segment in 2002 for ‘BBC Four’ in order to raise public awareness about the plight of the oppressed. The same year his first book, ‘A Passage to Africa’, won a ‘Madoc Award’ at the ‘Hay Literary Festival’.

At the beginning of 2003, he was promoted to co-anchor of ‘BBC News at Six’.

His second book, ‘A Home From Home’, discusses the immigrant experience. It was published in 2006.

He became the sole news anchor for ‘BBC News at Six’ in 2007 and also headed ‘GMT with George Alagiah’ for ‘BBC World’.

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In April 2014, Alagiah was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and took a leave of absence from the BBC in order to undergo treatment.

Major Works

Alagiah provided material for ‘Shaking the Foundations’, a collection of essays authored by journalists who reported on the chaos of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States.

Awards & Achievements

In 1993, he was presented with an award by the ‘Royal Television Society’ for high quality international reporting.

He won an ‘Amnesty International UK Media Award’ for best television journalist in 1994.

The ‘Ethnic Minority Media’ voted him ‘Media Personality of the Year’ in 1998.

The eminent journalist has also received a ‘Bayeux Award’ for war reporting.

Alagiah and his team members were awarded a ‘BAFTA in 2000’ for their coverage of the Kosovo conflict.

He was made an officer in the ‘Order of the British Empire’, an English order of chivalry, in 2008.

In 2010, he attended the ‘Asian Awards’, which celebrates the successes of South Asian leaders, and was recognized for outstanding achievement in television.

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Personal Life & Legacy

Alagiah married Frances Robathan in 1984, with whom he had two sons, Adam and Matthew.

He actively participated in the ‘Fairtrade Foundation’ from 2002 to 2009 until the BBC prompted him to resign due to conflict of interest.

He patronized the ‘Parenting UK organization’ for over a decade.

His ancestors spoke one of the longest surviving classical languages. The eminent journey is part of one of the oldest cultural groups that exists without a native land in the modern world.

Originating from an impoverished background, he often spoke on the benefits of a national healthcare system.

He passed away on 24 July 2023 due to cancer.

Facts About George Alagiah

George Alagiah was a polyglot who was fluent in Tamil, his native language, as well as English, French, and Spanish.

In addition to his journalism career, George Alagiah was also an accomplished author, having written a novel titled "The Burning Land."

George Alagiah was a passionate advocate for cancer research and awareness, having openly shared his own battle with the disease to raise awareness and funds.

He was known for his love of poetry and often incorporated lines from his favorite poems into his broadcasts and speeches.

George Alagiah Biography

You wanted to know

Where did George Alagiah grow up?

What was George Alagiah's educational background?

When did George Alagiah join the BBC?

Did George Alagiah author any books?

What health challenges did George Alagiah face?