This Is Your Life: Trevor McDonald

Trevor MCDONALD (1939-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Trevor McDonald, journalist and newsreader, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a business lunch with his ITN colleagues at the White Tower restaurant in London's West End.

Trevor, who was born in Trinidad, began his broadcasting career as a radio reporter and television news presenter on the Caribbean island before moving to the UK in 1969, where he joined the BBC World Service as a producer.

Having joined ITN in 1973, Trevor became Britain's first black television reporter, as sports correspondent and later diplomatic correspondent. As a newsreader, he appeared regularly on the News at 5.40 and News at Ten bulletins. In addition, he reported on the frontline action of the world's various trouble spots and interviewed many world leaders.

"You're joking! Michael – you can't do this to me! I can't believe this! I was gonna get my hair done this afternoon!"

programme details...

Edition No: 771
Subject No: 761
Broadcast date: Wed 24 Jan 1990
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 16 Jan 1990
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 30
Edition: 14
Code name: Burger

on the guest list...

members of ITN team
Jo - wife
Nigel Ryan
Lenny Henry
Tim - son
Jo - daughter
Eunice - sister
J C - brother
Alba Clark
Christopher Bell
Stewart Purvis
Alastair Burnet
Clive Lloyd
Viv Richards - telephone message
Peter Wilkinson
Errol Brown
Jamie - son
Geraldine - mother
James Lewah
pupils of Naparima College
Ken Gordon
Caspar Weinberger
Benazir Bhutto
John Arlott

production team...

Researcher: Louise Clover
Writer: Roy Bottomley
Directors: Brian Klein, John Birkin
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

News At Ten

reporting the news

Timeline

the show's fifty year history

This Is Your Life Set For TV Comeback

Press coverage of the programme's relaunch

Errol Brown

Screenshots of Trevor McDonald This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Trevor McDonald, Britain's first black newscaster, was lunching with colleagues at the White Tower in the West End on 16 January 1990.

He asked for the wine list and Michael Aspel appeared with the book.

Trevor started his broadcasting career as a radio reporter in Trinidad and at ITN was not just desk-bound. He, too, saw plenty of action, including filming by his car headlights during the uprising in the Philippines which ousted President Marcos from office.

Contributions to Trevor's Life came from former US Secretary of State for Defence, Casper Weinberger in Washington, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto in Islamabad. Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, about whom Trevor wrote a book, was there.

So was comedian Lenny Henry, recalling the days of cult children's programme TISWAS in which Lenny did an impression of Trevor - in his invented character of Trevor McDoughnut.

Series 30 subjects