JEREMY PAXMAN BIOGRAPHY!

Jeremy Paxman biography.

Jeremy Paxman began his television career as a reporter covering the troubles in Northern Ireland. Graduating in English from St Catharine's College, Cambridge, he moved to Belfast after working in local radio. During his three years there, he became the first full-time television current affairs reporter, specialising in investigative journalism.

In 1977, he moved to London to work as a reporter on Tonight, and after two years he became a reporter on Panorama. His assignments over the next five years took him around the world. It was during this period he wrote A Higher Form Of Killing with Robert Harris, an acclaimed history of chemical and biological warfare. His investigation into the mysterious death of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, Called To Account, won the Royal Television Society award for international current affairs.

It was while travelling in El Salvador researching for his book about Central America - Through The Volcanoes - that he received a call inviting him to present the BBC's new Six O'Clock News. In 1986, he moved to Breakfast News. He joined Newsnight in 1989, shortly before publication of his portrait of the British Establishment; Friends in High Places. He also hosted You decide with Paxman, in 1995. When University Challenge was revived by the BBC, he became chairman.

Jeremy was awarded a broadcasting award for outstanding contribution to television by the Voice of the Viewer and Listener in 1994 and 1997 and was given the Richard Dimbleby Award, BAFTA's most prestigious award for current affairs, in 1996 and 2000. In 1998 he won the Interview of the Year award for his famous questioning of Michael Howard.

Click here to watch Jeremy's interview with Ann Widdecombe and Michael Howard

In 2002 he was named presenter of the year at the Royal Television Society Journalism awards.

BBC NEWSNIGHT.