Peter Allen (UK broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Peter Edwin Allen is a UK radio broadcaster, and the current co-presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live
's Drive programme.
, attending the independent Brentwood School
with Jack Straw
(Noel Edmonds
was there three years later). At 18 he left school and worked for his local newspaper. He emigrated to Australia and worked for the Sydney Daily Telegraph
.
.
On 1 March 1994 the BBC announced that Allen was to host its new Breakfast programme. In 1997 the Breakfast programme was extended by half an hour. Also in 1997 The Times described the "witty repartee" of Allen and co-presenter Jane Garvey
as the best illustration of the station's tone, "friendly, informal, brisk, and mercifully, not terribly politically correct."
On 31 August 1997 Allen and James Naughtie
hosted the BBC Radio
coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
which saw Radios 2
, 3
, 4
and 5
compressed into a single service. This coverage won a Sony Award for best news event.
During 13 years working together at Five Live, Allen and Garvey won 6 Sony Awards including the gold award for news broadcaster of the year in 2002.
In 2007, the press, including The Daily Telegraph
and the Daily Mail
, cited unnamed sources that Allen had been rejected as John Humphrys
' replacement on Radio 4
's Today programme because he was not "posh enough" and did not have an Oxbridge background. A BBC spokesperson responded, "The reason we are not commenting is that it is about whether or not someone went for a job that may or not exist. Consequently, we cannot really get into it."
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
's Drive programme.
Early life
Allen comes from EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, attending the independent Brentwood School
Brentwood School (England)
Brentwood School is an independent school in Brentwood, Essex, England. Educating boys and girls in a British public school tradition. Brentwood School is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
with Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
(Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
was there three years later). At 18 he left school and worked for his local newspaper. He emigrated to Australia and worked for the Sydney Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
.
Broadcasting career
Allen was ITN political correspondent until 1992 when he was one of "a string of high-profile resignations" following the company's budget cuts. He left ITN to join London News NetworkLondon News Network
London News Network was a television news and facilities organisation in London. It was created in 1992 as a joint operation between London's two ITV contractors, Carlton Television and London Weekend Television, with each company holding a 50% stake...
.
On 1 March 1994 the BBC announced that Allen was to host its new Breakfast programme. In 1997 the Breakfast programme was extended by half an hour. Also in 1997 The Times described the "witty repartee" of Allen and co-presenter Jane Garvey
Jane Garvey (broadcaster)
Jane Susan Garvey is a British radio presenter, currently a presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.-Education:Garvey was educated at Merchant Taylors' Girls' School in Crosby, Merseyside and is a graduate of the University of Birmingham.-Work:She was employed as a medical records clerk in a...
as the best illustration of the station's tone, "friendly, informal, brisk, and mercifully, not terribly politically correct."
On 31 August 1997 Allen and James Naughtie
James Naughtie
James Naughtie is a British radio presenter and radio news presenter for the BBC. Since 1994 he has been one of the main presenters of Radio 4's Today programme.- Biography :...
hosted the BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
which saw Radios 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
, 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and 5
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
compressed into a single service. This coverage won a Sony Award for best news event.
During 13 years working together at Five Live, Allen and Garvey won 6 Sony Awards including the gold award for news broadcaster of the year in 2002.
In 2007, the press, including The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, cited unnamed sources that Allen had been rejected as John Humphrys
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards...
' replacement on Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Today programme because he was not "posh enough" and did not have an Oxbridge background. A BBC spokesperson responded, "The reason we are not commenting is that it is about whether or not someone went for a job that may or not exist. Consequently, we cannot really get into it."