Phil Lavelle is an English journalist with BBC News

BBC News

BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...

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Lavelle trained as a journalist with ITV Tyne Tees and worked as a Programme Editor for two years as one of the first members to launch the Al Jazeera English news service from London.

He is a former Entertainment Correspondent and presenter for Sky News

Sky News

Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...

 and news correspondent and weekend presenter for Five News

Five News

5 News is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5, produced by Sky News. From 1 January 2005, Sky News was awarded the contract to provide the news for Channel 5, replacing ITN, which had provided the channel's news service from the channel's launch in 1997...

. He also had a spell as news correspondent and presenter for BBC London News

BBC London News

For other uses of the BBC London brand, see BBC London .BBC London News is the BBC's regional television news programme for the English region encompassing London and surrounding suburbs...

. In 2010, Lavelle was employed by 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...

 as a news correspondent for BBC 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...

 and BBC News

BBC News

BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...

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Lavelle caused anger after posting a message on Twitter in which he described S4C

S4C

S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...

 as "a pointless, rubbish, minority Welsh-speaking channel". His comment was condemned by Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru

' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...

 AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas. BBC Director General Mark Thompson

Mark Thompson

Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...

 had to personally apologise, stressing "BBC employees should not express personal views in this way.”

Lavelle is openly gay. He lives in London with his partner and a pet puppy, Madge.