Darren Jordon
Encyclopedia
Darren Jordon is a British journalist working for the Al-Jazeera 24 hour English language news and current affairs channel, Al Jazeera English.
Born in London
to Jamaica
n parents, Jordon was brought up in the West Indies. Educated at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
, he spent eight years in the Jamaica Regiment, and was part of the 1983 American
led force in the invasion of Grenada
. Jordon became an accomplished military and sports parachutist
, setting a new record in 1983 for parachuting onto Jamaica's highest mountain
. After he retired his army commission as a Captain in 1986, he appeared as a parachute stunt double in the film "Club Paradise."
Upon leaving the army, Jordon sold TV advertising, and was a group sales manager for Yorkshire Television
, London Weekend Television
, Granada Television
where he worked with TV soap expert Chris Stacey, who at the time worked in the ratings prediction unit, and M-Net
in South Africa
. He then started his media career as a sports broadcaster in South Africa
.
Jordon joined the BBC
in 1998 as a BBC Sport
correspondent on BBC News 24 where he later moved to present the Sportsday programme also on the channel. He became a regular newsreader on the channel in 1999 before moving to present the relaunched breakfast news programme Breakfast
in 2000 alongside the likes of Sophie Raworth
, Moira Stuart
, Jeremy Bowen
and Sarah Montague
. He also later became deputy presenter of the BBC One O'Clock News
and presented all types of bulletins on BBC One
.
Darren Jordon left the BBC to join Al Jazeera at the end of October 2006, his departure having been announced on 5 October. In the announcement by Al Jazeera of his appointment, he was reported as saying “I think the world will benefit from a news channel like Al Jazeera English which will become the much needed channel of reference for Middle Eastern events with unique access to the region. We will set the news agenda rather than following others.” He has become a regular newsreader based in Doha
.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n parents, Jordon was brought up in the West Indies. Educated at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, he spent eight years in the Jamaica Regiment, and was part of the 1983 American
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
led force in the invasion of Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
. Jordon became an accomplished military and sports parachutist
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
, setting a new record in 1983 for parachuting onto Jamaica's highest mountain
Blue Mountain Peak
Blue Mountain Peak is the highest mountain in Jamaica at 2,256 metres . It is the home of Blue Mountain coffee and their famous tours. Blue Mountain Peak is the second highest peak in the Caribbean after Pico Duarte of the Dominican Republic...
. After he retired his army commission as a Captain in 1986, he appeared as a parachute stunt double in the film "Club Paradise."
Upon leaving the army, Jordon sold TV advertising, and was a group sales manager for Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
, London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
, Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
where he worked with TV soap expert Chris Stacey, who at the time worked in the ratings prediction unit, and M-Net
M-Net
M-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by Naspers....
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He then started his media career as a sports broadcaster in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Jordon joined the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1998 as a BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
correspondent on BBC News 24 where he later moved to present the Sportsday programme also on the channel. He became a regular newsreader on the channel in 1999 before moving to present the relaunched breakfast news programme Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
in 2000 alongside the likes of Sophie Raworth
Sophie Raworth
Sophie Jane Raworth is an English newsreader and journalist who works for British broadcaster the BBC. She is the main presenter of the BBC News at One, presenting Tuesday to Friday, and regularly appears on the BBC News at Six and occasionally on BBC News at Ten.-Early life:Born in Surrey to a...
, Moira Stuart
Moira Stuart
Moira Clare Ruby Stuart OBE is a British journalist who was the first African-Caribbean female newsreader on British television...
, Jeremy Bowen
Jeremy Bowen
Jeremy Francis John Bowen is a Welsh journalist and television presenter. He was the BBC's Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem between 1995 and 2000, and has been its Middle East Editor since 2005.-Background:...
and Sarah Montague
Sarah Montague
Sarah Montague is a British Journalist, best known for her work on BBC Radio 4 as one of the regular presenters of the Today programme.-Early life:...
. He also later became deputy presenter of the BBC One O'Clock News
BBC One O'Clock News
The BBC News at One is the afternoon news bulletin from the BBC. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel on Monday to Sunday 1:00pm....
and presented all types of bulletins on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
.
Darren Jordon left the BBC to join Al Jazeera at the end of October 2006, his departure having been announced on 5 October. In the announcement by Al Jazeera of his appointment, he was reported as saying “I think the world will benefit from a news channel like Al Jazeera English which will become the much needed channel of reference for Middle Eastern events with unique access to the region. We will set the news agenda rather than following others.” He has become a regular newsreader based in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
.
External links
- Al Jazeera English profile (contains other presenter profiles)
- Darren Jordon at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Independent Travel - Jordon returns to Grenada
- Telegraph travel - Jordon returns to Johannesburg
- Jordon visits Jamaica Defence Force in Iraq
- Profile at his agents website