James Hartigan is an English journalist and broadcaster who is best known as a poker commentator on British and American television and as a presenter and film critic on London talk radio station LBC

LBC

LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...

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Background

Hartigan grew up in Sutton, South London and Banstead, Surrey. He went to university at Christ Church College Canterbury, graduating in 1996 with a BA in Radio, Film and Television and English Literature. He then completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism at Falmouth College of Arts.

Radio

Hartigan began his broadcasting career as a film critic at BBC Radio Kent

BBC Radio Kent

BBC Radio Kent is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Kent.It broadcasts on FM on 96.7 , 97.6 and 104.2 also 774 and 1602 MW and DAB.- History :The radio station was launched in 1970 under the name of BBC Radio Medway, originally only serving the...

 and journalist at County Sound Radio before joining London’s Heart 106.2

Heart 106.2

Heart 106.2 is an Independent Local Radio station based in London and is owned by Global Radio as part of the Heart Network.On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart along with its sister stations The Arrow, Sky News Radio, LBC and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio from...

 in 1998 as the news anchor on Jono Coleman’s Breakfast Show. In addition, he was the station’s Showbiz Editor.

In 2001, he was hired by UBC Media to run commercial programming, including its syndicated entertainment news service. He returned to live broadcasting in 2004, reading bulletins on Jazz FM

Jazz FM

Jazz FM may refer to:*Jazz FM , a digital jazz radio station in the United Kingdom.*102.2 Jazz FM, a defunct radio station based in London, England.*100.4 Jazz FM, a defunct radio station based in Manchester, England....

 and presenting a variety of programmes on LBC, including news magazine The Morning Report on LBC News 1152

LBC News 1152

LBC News 1152 is London's only rolling news radio station broadcasting in Greater London on AM, DAB, Sky, Virgin Media and online. The station's aim is to provide more in depth coverage of the day's news stories...

 and the weekday Drivetime show on LBC 97.3

LBC 97.3

LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...

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Since November 2008, Hartigan has been LBC's film critic. He can also occasionally be heard reading the news on Classic FM (UK)

Classic FM (UK)

Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...

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Poker

Hartigan has been a recreational poker player since the early 1990s. In 2005, as a professional broadcaster with a keen interest in the game, he was hired by The Poker Channel

The Poker Channel

The Poker Channel is a dedicated gaming TV network and broadcasts to over 30 million TV homes in 30 countries.The Channel is typically carried in the basic packages of cable and satellite operators in Europe and classified as a sport or entertainment channel in electronic programme guides...

 to commentate on the World Cup of Poker

World Cup of Poker

The World Cup of Poker is an annual poker tournament which was established in 2004. The preliminary rounds are conducted online, and the finals were initially held in Barcelona, Spain, but since 2009, they have been moved to the Atlantis Resort & Casino in the Bahamas...

 and the World Speed Poker Open. He has since commentated on tournaments across Europe and has presented poker programmes for Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

, Sky Sports

Sky Sports

Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

, Eurosport

Eurosport

Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...

 and Challenge.

He currently works on the European Poker Tour

European Poker Tour

The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...

 and North American Poker Tour

North American Poker Tour

The North American Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments held in North America. The NAPT includes an associated television series broadcasting the final table of some of the tournaments....

 as the main host of the television highlights shows and EPT Live webcasts. He played in the Deauville EPT in season one.

Hartigan has also fronted live coverage of the World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...

 for ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

, including the 2010 Main Event Final Table, and is one of the faces of Sky Poker, appearing on the channel as a presenter and analyst. He also writes a regular blog for the Sky Poker website.

Personal

Hartigan lives in Putney, South West London. He is married with one daughter and a cat.

As well as poker and movies, he is a fan of tennis and American Football. He has followed the San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 since they won Super Bowl XIX

Super Bowl XIX

Super Bowl XIX was an American football game played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1984 regular season...

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External links

• http://www.lbc.co.uk/filmclub
• http://twitter.com/J_Hartigan
• http://www.ept.com
• http://www.napt.com
• http://www.skypoker.com