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Dermot John Murnaghan (; born 26 December 1957) is a British broadcaster. A presenter for Sky News, he was a news presenter at
CNBC Europe Consumer News and Business Channel Europe (referred to on air simply as CNBC) is a business and financial news television channel which airs across Europe. The station is based in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith (architect), Adrian S ...
,
Independent Television News Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, N ...
and
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
. He has presented news programmes in a variety of time slots since joining Sky News in 2007. He also presented the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
quiz show '' Eggheads'' between 2003 and 2014 before
Jeremy Vine Jeremy Guy Vine (born 17 May 1965) is an English television and radio personality, presenter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme which presents news, views, interviews with live guest ...
took over full-time. On 8 September 2022, Murnaghan broke the news of Queen Elizabeth II's
death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
and presented the afternoon rolling news coverage as Sky News was the first British television news organization to report the monarch's passing.


Early life and education

Murnaghan was born in Barnstaple,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
in south-west England. He and his family later moved to
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, first to Armagh, then to
Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry ...
, County Down, and then to
Holywood Holy Wood or Holywood may refer to: Places * Holywood, County Down, a town and townland in Northern Ireland ** Holywood, County Down (civil parish), a civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland ** Holywood railway station (Northern Ireland) * ...
. Murnaghan was educated at two schools in Northern Ireland: St Malachy's Primary School in Armagh and
Sullivan Upper School Sullivan Upper School is a mixed non- denominational voluntary grammar school in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and has approximately 1,100 enrolled pupils. The school motto is ', Irish for "with the gentle hand foremost". History Sullivan Low ...
(a grammar school) in Holywood, followed by the
University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...
in England, graduating with a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in History in 1980. He then completed a postgraduate course in Journalism at
City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
.


Career

Murnaghan worked as a trainee reporter on local newspapers before joining
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
as a researcher and later a reporter for ''The Business Programme''. Murnaghan presented the
European Business Channel European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
in Switzerland before returning to the UK in 1989 to present the business segments on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's new breakfast programme '' The Channel 4 Daily'', after which he became the show's main presenter in 1991, after the departure of original anchor
Carol Barnes Carol Lesley Barnes (13 September 1944 – 8 March 2008) was a British television newsreader and broadcaster. She worked for ITN from 1975 to 2004. Early life Barnes was born in Norwich, and attended St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for ...
, until the programme ended in September 1992. Murnaghan then presented programmes on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
such as the ''
ITV Lunchtime News The ''ITV Lunchtime News'' is the afternoon news programme produced by ITN on the British television network ITV. It airs Monday to Friday from 1:30pm, covering British national and international news stories and is presented by Nina Hossain. ...
'' and '' News at Ten''. Between 1993 and 1997 he fronted approximately 100 episodes of current affairs series ''The Big Story''. In 1997, as an ITN news presenter, Murnaghan broke the news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales to viewers on ITV. He later presented the ''
ITV Evening News The ''ITV Evening News'' is the evening news programme produced by ITN on the British television network ITV. It airs Monday to Friday from 6:30pm, covering British national and international news stories and is presented by Mary Nightingale. ...
'' and the ''
ITV Nightly News The ''ITV Nightly News'' was the nightly news programme on British television network ITV, produced by ITN and broadcast Monday to Friday at 11:00pm. The 20-minute bulletin, originally presented by Dermot Murnaghan, was introduced as part of a ...
'' when ITV relaunched their news output in 1999. He also worked on ITV's general election coverage in 2001. From September 2002 to December 2007 Murnaghan was a main presenter of '' BBC Breakfast'', replacing
Jeremy Bowen Jeremy Francis John Bowen (born 6 February 1960) is a Welsh journalist and television presenter. He was the BBC's Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem between 1995 and 2000 and the BBC Middle East editor from 2005 to 2022, before being ...
. He presented the show alongside
Sophie Raworth Sophie Jane Raworth () (born 15 May 1968) is an English journalist, newsreader and broadcaster working for the BBC. She is a senior newsreader and is one of the main presenters of BBC News (mainly ''BBC News at Six'' and ''BBC News at Ten''). ...
,
Natasha Kaplinsky Natasha Margaret Kaplinsky (born 9 September 1972)The Donor, News and information for blood donors, Winter 2009, National Blood Service, England, page 55 is an English newsreader, TV presenter and journalist, best known for her roles as a st ...
,
Kate Silverton Kate Silverton (born 4 August 1970) is an English journalist. She formerly worked as a broadcaster and newsreader for the BBC. Silverton was a regular presenter of '' BBC News at One'' and ''BBC Weekend News'', as well as making occasional app ...
,
Sian Williams Sian Mary Williams (; born 28 November 1964) is a Welsh journalist, current affairs presenter best known for her work with the BBC, and psychologist. From 2001 until 2012, Williams regularly presented weekday editions of '' BBC Breakfast'' a ...
and
Susanna Reid Susanna Reid (born 10 December 1970) is an English television presenter and journalist. She was a co-presenter of ''BBC Breakfast'' from 2003 until 2014 alongside Bill Turnbull and Charlie Stayt. In 2013, she finished as a runner-up on the elev ...
. He was also a regular stand-in on the ''
BBC Six O'Clock News The ''BBC News at Six'' is the evening news programme bulletin from the BBC. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on the BBC News channel and on British television channel BBC One on weekdays at 6:00pm. For a long period, the ''BBC ...
'' and ''
BBC Ten O'Clock News ''BBC News at Ten'' formerly known as the ''BBC Ten O'Clock News'' or the ''Ten O'Clock News'' is the flagship evening news programme for the BBC News channel and British television channel BBC One on weekdays and Sundays at 10:00pm. Huw Edwa ...
'' and co-presented the ''BBC News at Six'' on Fridays from September 2003 to summer 2007 alongside
Sian Williams Sian Mary Williams (; born 28 November 1964) is a Welsh journalist, current affairs presenter best known for her work with the BBC, and psychologist. From 2001 until 2012, Williams regularly presented weekday editions of '' BBC Breakfast'' a ...
. His presenting style was lampooned in the
impersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...
sketch show '' Dead Ringers'' by Jon Culshaw, his widely spaced legs on the presenting couch mocked with the phrase "I'm Dermot Murnaghan, watch my crotch follow you round the room." Whilst at the BBC, he co-presented BBC Two's '' Treasure Hunt'' (2002–2003), a revival of an earlier format on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
alongside Suzi Perry. He co-presented BBC Breakfast from Monday to Thursday as well as regularly fronting national BBC news bulletins until December 2007. In October 2007, it was announced that Murnaghan would be leaving the BBC for Sky News. Murnaghan became the second news presenter to depart the corporation in the same month – Natasha Kaplinsky also left to join
Five News ''5 News at 5'', also known as ''Channel 5 News'', is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5, produced by ITN from its main newsroom on Gray's Inn Road, London. History ''5 News'' was one of the new station's flagship programme ...
, produced by Sky. His last time presenting Breakfast was 20 December 2007. Murnaghan presented the BBC Two daytime show '' Eggheads'' from 2003 until 2014, as well as its short-lived spin-off series ''
Are You an Egghead? ''Are You an Egghead?'' is a BBC quiz show that was presented by Dermot Murnaghan. It is a spin-off from the quiz show '' Eggheads'', with its goal to find a further Egghead to complement the existing team. The first series was aired weekdays f ...
'' in 2008 and 2009. Following his move to Sky News he shared this role with
Jeremy Vine Jeremy Guy Vine (born 17 May 1965) is an English television and radio personality, presenter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme which presents news, views, interviews with live guest ...
, who subsequently became the sole presenter in series 16. Murnaghan has guest presented reports for different travel shows including ITV's '' Wish You Were Here...?'' and BBC One's rival programme '' Holiday''. He has made cameos as a newsreader in the 2004 film ''
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
'', '' Absolute Power'' and '' Midnight Man''. From January 2011 until December 2016, Murnaghan presented his own show entitled '' Murnaghan'' on Sky News that aired on Sunday mornings from 10 am until 12 noon. Since September 2016, he has presented ''
Sky News Tonight ''Sky News Tonight'' was a weeknight news programme broadcast on Sky News from 7:00 pm. First aired on 1 September 2014, it was Sky's flagship newscast, featuring special reports, in-depth analysis and interviews. The shows last episode was broad ...
'' from Monday to Thursday. For the 2019 general election Murnaghan hosted Sky News' overnight coverage, entitled ''The Brexit Election''. On the night of 8 September 2022, Dermot Murnaghan announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II, presenting the afternoon rolling news coverage following an announcement from Buckingham Palace earlier in the day as Sky News was the first television news organization to report her passing.


Controversies


Chuka Umunna interview

On 19 January 2015, Murnaghan was criticised for his supposedly hostile attitude towards Shadow Business Secretary
Chuka Umunna Chuka Harrison Umunna (; born 17 October 1978) is a British retired politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Streatham from 2010 until 2019. A former member of the Labour Party, he was part of the Shadow Cabinet from 2011 to ...
during an interview where Murnaghan asked Umunna if he agreed with the statement sent by the Communities Secretary to the Muslim community earlier in the day. Umunna acknowledged that he had not read it, though Murnaghan nonetheless continued to press the Shadow Business Secretary, resulting in an abrupt end to the interview after Murnaghan cut-off Umunna mid-speech by saying "so you are not going to speak until you get the party line right?" Umuna stormed out of the interview at this point. Viewers complained about the "poor attitude" exhibited by Murnaghan during the interview.


President Toomas Hendrik Ilves interview

On 8 February 2015, Murnaghan introduced the Estonian president,
Toomas Hendrik Ilves Toomas Hendrik Ilves (; born 26 December 1953) is an Estonian politician who served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 until 2016. Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist, and he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the ...
, as Toomas Hendrik and proceeded to call him "President Hendrik". President Ilves removed his microphone and left, saying "Tell him to shut up, he can't even get my name right."


Raheem Kassam interview

On 14 February 2016, Murnaghan confronted British political activist and UKIP member
Raheem Kassam Raheem J. Kassam (born 1 August 1986) is a British political activist, former editor-in-chief of ''Breitbart News'' London, and former chief adviser to former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage. He has been described as Far-right po ...
on why he was not wearing a poppy in the United States. Kassam explained he forgot to place it in his new suit jacket but had donated £300 to the
Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
. Murnaghan continued to press him, stating that it was "disrespectful" and that his news colleagues would be "heavily criticised" if they chose not to wear a poppy even if they donated. Kassam retorted they are "rightly criticised" for choosing not to wear one, which was "not applicable" in his case as he had simply forgotten it. Murnaghan quickly changed topic after Kassam's retort, which Kassam highlighted.


Personal life

In August 1989, Murnaghan married Maria Keegan in Camden; they have four children. They live together in
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...
. Murnaghan is an Arsenal fan. In 2006, Murnaghan became president of the
Television and Radio Industries Club The Television and Radio Industries Club (widely known as TRIC) is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries". The Club holds an annual awards ceremony each March honouring achievement in te ...
(TRIC) and presented the TRIC Awards 2007. On 9 March 2017, Murnaghan was involved in a hit and run accident. He was cycling through
Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...
, northwest London, to his work at Sky News when the accident took place. Speaking to Sky News, Murnaghan said the driver of the car which hit him had been using a mobile phone when the incident occurred. The accident forced Murnaghan to be off air from his Sky News show and resulted in his having large bruise marks on the left-hand side of his face. Murnaghan thanked a "good Samaritan" who saw what had happened and told him that the car had sped off.


References


External links


Dermot Murnaghan – Official Agent's website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murnaghan, Dermot 1957 births Living people Mass media people from Barnstaple People educated at Sullivan Upper School Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of the University of Sussex British reporters and correspondents ITN newsreaders and journalists BBC newsreaders and journalists Sky News newsreaders and journalists People from Camden Town British game show hosts English people of Irish descent