Tom Bradby
Encyclopedia
Tom Bradby is a journalist and novelist. He has been political editor
for ITV News
since July 2005.
in 1967, the son of a Royal Navy
officer. After a short spell in Gibraltar
he moved to Britain and was educated at Westbourne House School
, Sherborne School
and the University of Edinburgh
.
, ITN's political editor, in 1992.
Bradby spent three years (1993-96) as Ireland
correspondent, during which time he covered the peace process
, the IRA
ceasefire
and Bill Clinton
's visit to Ireland in November 1995. From 1999-2001, he was ITV's Asia correspondent. In October 1999, he was injured whilst covering the riots in Jakarta against the newly-elected President, Abdurrahman Wahid
. He was hit in the leg by a flare attached to a chain as demonstrators clashed with armed police in the Indonesian capital. He underwent a three-hour operation for a compound fracture of his fibula and spent several days in a Jakarta hospital before flying home to Hong Kong
to convalesce.
After recovering from his injury and returning to the UK, Bradby became Royal Correspondent for ITV News, covering a number of key stories, including the Queen
's Jubilee
year, as well as the deaths of the Queen Mother
and Princess Margaret
. He was subsequently ITV News' UK
editor, and then political editor. On November 16 2010 he carried out the first official interview of Prince William and Catherine Middleton following the announcement of their engagement at St James's Palace, reportedly having being specifically requested by the couple due to Bradby's friendship with the Prince. He also attended William and Catherine's wedding as a guest on the 29th April 2011.
Unusually for a political editor he views himself as apolitical
, saying that he does not "have a coherent set of political views".
and his home in Hampshire
which he shares with his jewellery designer wife Claudia and their three children. In addition to writing, he is also a keen footballer.
Political Editor
The political editor of a newspaper or broadcast media is the senior political reporter who covers politics and related matters for the newspaper or station...
for ITV News
ITV News
ITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. Since 1955, ITV's news bulletins have been produced by Independent Television News . The channel's news coverage has won awards from the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards and BAFTAs. Between 2004 and 2008, the...
since July 2005.
Early life
Bradby was born in MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1967, the son of a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer. After a short spell in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
he moved to Britain and was educated at Westbourne House School
Westbourne House School
Westbourne House School is an independent preparatory school 1½ miles east of Chichester, West Sussex, England. It is co-educational and serves around 450 boarding and day-school pupils from ages 3–13. The headmaster is Martin Barker.- History :...
, Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Career
He joined ITN as an editorial trainee in 1990 and subsequently became producer for Michael BrunsonMichael Brunson
Michael Brunson OBE is a British political journalist.He was educated at Bedford School, a boys' independent school in Bedford, Bedfordshire, and read Theology at Queen's College, Oxford University. Michael Brunson began his broadcasting career at the BBC and later served as Washington...
, ITN's political editor, in 1992.
Bradby spent three years (1993-96) as Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
correspondent, during which time he covered the peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
, the IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's visit to Ireland in November 1995. From 1999-2001, he was ITV's Asia correspondent. In October 1999, he was injured whilst covering the riots in Jakarta against the newly-elected President, Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid, born Abdurrahman Addakhil , colloquially known as , was an Indonesian Muslim religious and political leader who served as the President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001...
. He was hit in the leg by a flare attached to a chain as demonstrators clashed with armed police in the Indonesian capital. He underwent a three-hour operation for a compound fracture of his fibula and spent several days in a Jakarta hospital before flying home to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to convalesce.
After recovering from his injury and returning to the UK, Bradby became Royal Correspondent for ITV News, covering a number of key stories, including the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's Jubilee
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50...
year, as well as the deaths of the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
and Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
. He was subsequently ITV News' UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
editor, and then political editor. On November 16 2010 he carried out the first official interview of Prince William and Catherine Middleton following the announcement of their engagement at St James's Palace, reportedly having being specifically requested by the couple due to Bradby's friendship with the Prince. He also attended William and Catherine's wedding as a guest on the 29th April 2011.
Unusually for a political editor he views himself as apolitical
Apolitical
The state or quality of being apolitical can be the apathy and/or the antipathy towards all political affiliations. Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased position in regard to political matters.-References:...
, saying that he does not "have a coherent set of political views".
Publications
, Bradby has written six novels:- Shadow Dancer (1998) ISBN 0-552-14586-6
- The Sleep of the Dead (2001) ISBN 0-552-14587-4
- The Master of Rain (2002) ISBN 0-552-14746-X
- The White Russian (2003) ISBN 0-552-14900-4
- The God of Chaos (2004) ISBN 0-593-05267-6
- Blood Money (2009) ISBN 0-552-15308-7
Personal life
Bradby splits his time between his work in LondonLondon
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...
and his home in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
which he shares with his jewellery designer wife Claudia and their three children. In addition to writing, he is also a keen footballer.