Peter White

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(born 1947, Winchester) is a visually impaired British broadcast

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 ...

and DJ.

Broadcasting career

Blind since birth (as was his elder brother), he attended

New College Worcester New College Worcester (or NCW; formerly RNIB New College) is an independent boarding and day school for students, aged 11–19, who are blind or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students. It is located in the city of Worcester, Engla ...

, which was then known as the Worcester College for the Blind. He was a regular presenter on

BBC Radio Solent BBC Radio Solent is the BBC's local radio station serving Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Havelock Road in Southampton. According to RAJAR, the station has a ...

from the station's launch in 1971 until November 2006, when he was downsized. He currently presents (with others) ''

You and Yours ''You and Yours'' is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and produced by BBC News. History ''You and Yours'' began broadcasting in October 1970, when its first presenter was Joan York. In the 1980s it briefly ra ...

'' and (since 1974) '' In Touch'' (both

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

), a programme for blind and partially sighted people, and regularly contributes to other science, news or educational programmes to talk about disabilities. He was the presenter of

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 ''

Same Difference Same Difference were an English bubblegum pop duo from Portsmouth, England, made up of siblings Sean Smith and Sarah Smith. They came to prominence in 2007 when they finished third in the fourth series of the ITV talent show, ''The X Factor'' ...

'' (1987–1989) and Central Television's ''Link'' (1989–1991). He was made the BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent in 1995. He was part of the reporting team for BBC News at the 2008 Beijing games. A column by White for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' 'G2' magazine which appeared on 8 September 2006 provoked many positive responses.

Charity work

On 13 March 2009 White participated in Radio 4's ''Stand Up With The Stars'', a competition for Red Nose Day 2009 where well-known, serious presenters from Radio 4 (including

Evan Davis Evan Harold Davis (born 8 April 1962) is an English economist, journalist, and presenter for the BBC. He has presented ''Dragons' Den'' since 2005. In October 2001, Davis took over from Peter Jay as the BBC's economics editor. He left this ...

Libby Purves Elizabeth Mary Purves, (born 2 February 1950) is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. Early life and career Born in London, a diplomat's daughter, Purves was raised in her mother's Catholic faith and educated at convent school ...

and Laurie Taylor), attempted to make and deliver a stand-up comedy routine,

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

ed by other well-known comedy presenters on Radio 4. He went on to win after a vote from Radio 4 listeners. Much of his routine focused on his blindness and others' perceptions of blind people. In February 2011, White took part in a 100 km trek across the Kaisut Desert in North

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

for

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

to raise awareness of individuals in Africa losing their sight to diseases like

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

. Despite painful blisters he finished the challenges, crossing the line first with actress Kira Tointon.

Awards and achievements

*1988 Appointed Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE). *1999 Published an autobiography, ''See It My Way''. *2001 Awarded Sony speech Broadcaster of the Year 2001 *2002 Awarded Viv Bradford Rose Bowl by Warwickshire Association for the Blind

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Peter 1947 births Blind people from England English male journalists Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire Mass media people from Winchester English male non-fiction writers Alumni of the University of Kent Television presenters with disabilities