Sophie Rebecca Long (born 7 December 1976) is an English
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
who works for
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 ...
, mainly appearing as a presenter on the
BBC News Channel
BBC News (also known as the BBC News Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel for BBC News. It was launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 5:30 pm as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic telev ...
.
On 18 March 2013, Long and co-presenter
Simon McCoy
Simon McCoy (born 7 October 1961) is a British journalist and former newsreader on BBC News and Sky News and presenter at GB News.
Early life
McCoy was born on 7 October 1961 in Hammersmith. He was educated at the independent Sherborne School ...
read the final BBC News bulletin from
BBC Television Centre
Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...
.
Early life
Long was born in
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...
, and in part raised in
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
when her parents moved there. She attended
Broadoak School in Weston. She did her A-levels at
Weston College
Weston College of Further and Higher Education is a general college of further and higher education in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. It provides education and vocational training from age 14 to adult. The college provided education to ...
's Sixth Form Centre.
After graduating from
King's College London with a degree in War Studies, she worked as an election monitor in
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
. Long returned to the UK, working for
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
news agency before moving to
ITN as a newsroom assistant in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Journalism career
After gaining a BBC scholarship, the first bursary endowed in honour of the late
Jill Dando
Jill Wendy Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She spent most of her career at the BBC and was the corporation's Personality of the Year in 1997. At the time of her death, her ...
, Long studied for a diploma in broadcast journalism at
Falmouth College of Arts. On gaining her qualifications, she worked at
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cornwall.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Phoenix Wharf in Truro.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 1 ...
and as a reporter for ''
Spotlight
Spotlight or spot light may refer to:
Lighting
* Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps
* Spotlight (theatre lighting)
* Spotlight, a searchlight
* Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types
Art, entertainment, an ...
'', before joining the BBC's News Training Scheme, working for
BBC Radio Shropshire and
BBC Hereford and Worcester
BBC Hereford & Worcester is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and online via BBC Sounds from studios on Hylton Road in Worcester.
According to RAJA ...
.
Long then became a news presenter for ''
Midlands Today
''Midlands Today'' is the BBC's regional television news service for the West Midlands. It was launched in 1964 and is presented by Mary Rhodes, Nick Owen, Elizabeth Glinka, Rebecca Wood and Shefali Oza.
Overview
''Midlands Today'' is produ ...
'' breakfast and lunchtime slots, before returning to
Plymouth to become a main presenter on ''Spotlight''. Long also presented the South West issue of ''
The Politics Show
''Politics Show'' is an hour-long BBC One television political programme which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sundays between 2003 and 2011, broadcasting usually at midday.
''Politics Show'' was superseded by ''Sunday Politics'', a weeke ...
,'' before moving to be a stand-in presenter and News Correspondent on the
BBC News Channel
BBC News (also known as the BBC News Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel for BBC News. It was launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 5:30 pm as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic telev ...
. She soon gave up reporting to cover
Annita McVeigh
This is a list of newsreaders and reporters currently employed by BBC Television and BBC Radio.
BBC News employs many presenters and correspondents who appear across television, radio and contribute to BBC Online. BBC News provides televisio ...
's maternity leave, presenting between 7 pm and 10 pm on Fridays, and between 7 pm and midnight on Saturdays and Sundays alongside
Chris Lowe
Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981.
Biography
Lowe attended Arnold School, an independen ...
, as well as occasionally filling in during the week. She became the presenter of the weekend on the 4-7 pm shift on Saturdays and worked as a general relief presenter, particularly on weekday afternoons alongside
Jon Sopel
Jonathan B. Sopel (born 22 May 1959) is a British journalist, television presenter and a former correspondent for BBC News. He was formerly the BBC's North America editor; chief political correspondent for the domestic news channel BBC News; a ...
and
Julian Worricker
Julian Gordon Worricker (born 6 January 1963 in Woking, Surrey) is an English journalist, currently working as one of the main presenters of ''Weekend'' on the BBC World Service, as stand in presenter of '' Any Answers'' on BBC Radio 4 and a relie ...
respectively. From March 2013, Long presented on Monday and Friday mornings until the slots were axed in favour of the new
Victoria Derbyshire
Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has also presented ''News ...
programme in April 2015. Long now appears as a news correspondent across the BBC, as well as regularly presenting the 8 pm ''
BBC News Summary
The ''BBC News Summary'' is a news update created by BBC News.
Like other BBC News bulletins it was presented by a sole newsreader, on Monday to Thursday it was usually Ellie Crisell and on Friday Riz Lateef. After a minute of brief national an ...
''.
In May 2010, she travelled with
Nick Clegg
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicep ...
during the general election campaign, and in March 2011 reported live for the BBC News Channel from Central London during the anti-cuts protest march.
On 27 July 2011, she provided reports and coverage from the Olympic Park site, which is home to various venues and stadia for the London
2012 Summer Olympics on the day the UK celebrated the year to go milestone.
In November 2011, Long travelled to the Middle East on a fact finding mission with the
Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre
The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) is a UK-based organisation which acts to promote awareness of Israel and the Middle East in the United Kingdom. BICOM publishes materials such as briefings and a journal, ''Fathom'', ...
(BICOM), visiting campaigning groups in Israel and the West Bank, and meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Shortly before 1 pm on 18 March 2013, Long and co-presenter
Simon McCoy
Simon McCoy (born 7 October 1961) is a British journalist and former newsreader on BBC News and Sky News and presenter at GB News.
Early life
McCoy was born on 7 October 1961 in Hammersmith. He was educated at the independent Sherborne School ...
read the final BBC News bulletin from
BBC Television Centre
Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...
, with BBC News moving to
Broadcasting House in the
West End of London
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...
for the ''
BBC News at One
The ''BBC News at One'' is the afternoon/lunchtime news bulletin from the BBC. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel (via British Sign Language) from Monday to Sunday at 1:00pm for 30 minutes, alth ...
''.
After a stint covering the Far East Sophie is now the
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 ...
LA Correspondent.
Personal life
Sophie Long married Will Green in June 2010 in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
after dating for many years. The marriage ended two years later.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Sophie
1976 births
Alumni of Falmouth University
Alumni of King's College London
BBC newsreaders and journalists
English journalists
Living people
Mass media people from Torquay
People from Weston-super-Mare