Christa Ackroyd
Encyclopedia
Christa Ackroyd is a British television and radio presenter. She is one of the main presenter
s for the BBC Yorkshire
regional magazine programme Look North
.
, Maurice, Ackroyd was born 4 May 1957 in Eccleshill
, Bradford
. After leaving the Hanson School on Sutton Avenue (up to 1972, known as the Hanson Girls' Grammar School on Barkerend Road in Bradford Moor
) in Eccleshill
, Bradford at the age of 18, she worked with the Evening Courier in Halifax
for four years.
in Bradford (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire
). After there she went to Radio Aire
on Kirkstall Road in Leeds
, becoming the UK's first female radio news editor in 1981. She later became Radio Aire's programme controller, often presenting some weekend shows herself, until she left the station in 1990.
's regional news programme Calendar
in 1990, with Richard Whiteley
and later Mike Morris
. In September 2001, she joined the BBC and began to host Look North
with Harry Gration
from Leeds. She has also written a column for the Sunday Express
.
. She was awarded an honorary degree
by the University of Bradford
in July 2008.
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
s for the BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire is one of the English regions of the BBC. It was formed from the division of the former BBC North region into BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, based in Hull.-Television:...
regional magazine programme Look North
BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands)
BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for West & South Yorkshire, parts of North Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The programmes as produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre at St...
.
Early life
The daughter of police inspectorUK police ranks
Most of the police forces of the United Kingdom use a standardised set of ranks, with a slight variation in the most senior ranks for Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police...
, Maurice, Ackroyd was born 4 May 1957 in Eccleshill
Eccleshill
Eccleshill is a Ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England....
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. After leaving the Hanson School on Sutton Avenue (up to 1972, known as the Hanson Girls' Grammar School on Barkerend Road in Bradford Moor
Bradford Moor
Bradford Moor is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. It is in the BD3 postcode area.The ward covers the areas of Bradford known as Bradford Moor, Laisterdyke and Thornbury...
) in Eccleshill
Eccleshill
Eccleshill is a Ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England....
, Bradford at the age of 18, she worked with the Evening Courier in Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
for four years.
Radio
After leaving print media, Ackroyd worked at Pennine RadioPennine Radio
Pennine Radio may refer to:* Pennine Radio Limited an electronics company in Huddersfield.* Pennine Radio - Former radio station in West Yorkshire, based in Bradford ....
in Bradford (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse is a British Independent Local Radio station that serves the Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale areas of West Yorkshire. The station was originally known as Pennine Radio...
). After there she went to Radio Aire
96.3 Radio Aire
96.3 Radio Aire is the main Independent Local Radio station for Leeds and West Yorkshire. It is the sister station of Magic 828. The station is owned & operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's Place Network of stations.-History:...
on Kirkstall Road in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, becoming the UK's first female radio news editor in 1981. She later became Radio Aire's programme controller, often presenting some weekend shows herself, until she left the station in 1990.
Television
She became co-presenter on Yorkshire TelevisionYorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
's regional news programme Calendar
Calendar (News)
Calendar is a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ITV Yorkshire at its studios in Leeds, serving Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and parts of the North Midlands and North West Norfolk...
in 1990, with Richard Whiteley
Richard Whiteley
John Richard Whiteley, OBE DL , usually known as Richard Whiteley, was an English broadcaster and journalist. He was famous for his twenty-three years as host of Countdown, a letters and numbers arrangement game show broadcast most weekdays on Channel 4...
and later Mike Morris
Mike Morris (TV Presenter)
Mike Morris is a British television presenter, perhaps best known as a co-host of Good Morning Britain on the breakfast television station TV-am on the ITV Network....
. In September 2001, she joined the BBC and began to host Look North
BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands)
BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for West & South Yorkshire, parts of North Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The programmes as produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre at St...
with Harry Gration
Harry Gration
Harry Gration is a television presenter based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He is one of the main presenters for the BBC Yorkshire regional magazine programme Look North.-Early life:...
from Leeds. She has also written a column for the Sunday Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
.
Personal life
She lives near Ogden Water, Halifax with her husband, Chris Sutcliffe, whom she married in 1982 in Halifax. They have two daughters (one born August 1985) and a son. She enjoys riding on her three horses, which is a difficulty as she has rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
. She was awarded an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
by the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
in July 2008.
External links
- Look North profile
- TV Ark
- TV News Room
- 2001 York Press article
- Her move to the BBC in 2001
- IMDb
- BBC's concern over her Sunday Express column in 2004