Angela Rippon CBE

Angela Rippon CBE

Angela is a renowned English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. She was the first female journalist to present the BBC national television news on a permanent basis. She presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's Nine O'Clock News, becoming a regular presenter in 1975. She was a presenter on, and co-founder of, breakfast television franchisee TV-am. After leaving school at 17, Angela Rippon joined the photographic office of the Western Morning News and worked for the Sunday Independent, and later, BBC local radio and Westward Television as an editor. Rippon first presented a national news programme on BBC2 in 1974. For a fortnight, she replaced newsreader Richard Baker – who was on holiday – on BBC One's Nine O'Clock News, and was offered a permanent newsreading role on that programme in 1975.

Presenting Career

She was the first presenter of BBC television's Top Gear, presenting the motoring programme from 1977 to 1979 and appeared briefly on TV-am following its launch in 1983. From 1990 to 1994, she presented Angela Rippon's Morning Report, a daily radio news programme on LBC Newstalk, and, later, Angela Rippon's Drivetime. She was a stand-in newsreader on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast until 2002. In 2007, she became a presenter on Cash in the Attic, a BBC One daytime television programme broadcast where presenters meet members of the general public, who seek out valuables and antiques to be sold at auction, in their homes. In 2011 she joined the One Show, presenting a 5 minute slot called Rippon's Britain. Also in that year, Rippon appeared on Children in Need, performing alongside BBC newsreaders Sian Williams, Susanna Reid, Sophie Raworth, and Emily Maitlis in a special one-off edition of Stricly Come Dancing.

Other Work & Recognition

Rippon is patron of the Old Time Dance Society, and in 2010, she attended the society's 25th Anniversary Ball of the Year. Angela was awarded the OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2004. Rippon has written fourteen books, toured with a production of Anything Goes and presented a segment of BBC One's The One Show. Angela Rippon has been at the forefront of British broadcasting for over 35 years, as such she is a hugely popular presenter or events host.