Humphrys, John (1943- )

Welsh journalist. Known as an aggressive and hard-hitting interviewer, he has presented Radio 4's Today programme since 1987.

He was a foreign correspondent in the USA and Africa and presented the Nine O'Clock News 1981-87. He has also presented the current affairs television programme Panorama, the quiz show Mastermind, and the weekly political news programme On the Record.

Humphrys was born in Cardiff, Wales. He left school at 15, and after working for thePenarth Times and Western Mail newspapers, he joined TWW, an independent television station in Wales. He joined the BBC as a reporter, based in Liverpool, in 1966. At the age of 28, he became the BBC's first full-time US television correspondent, covering events such as the Watergate scandal in 1974.

Though widely respected in journalistic circles, his aggressive style has attracted controversy. Conservative minister Jonathan Aitken accused him in 1995 of ‘poisoning the well of democratic debate’. He made headlines for his criticism of the ‘dumbing down’ of British television in 2004 and for alleging widespread dishonesty of British politicians in 2005, for which he was censured by the BBC.

He has published several books about English grammar and usage, for example Lost for Words (2004), an indictment of the incorrect usage of English.