Born: 1969 (Eastbourne, Sussex)
Biography:
Jane Amanda Hill was born on June 10, 1969, in Eastbourne, Sussex. She is an English newsreader and one of the main presenters for BBC News. Hill is widely recognized as the main presenter on the BBC News at One and the BBC News at Five, and she also frequently presents the BBC Weekend News, BBC News at Ten, and BBC News at Six. In addition to her television work, she occasionally presents The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4.
Hill received her education at Micklefield School in East Sussex. She went on to study politics at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, where she graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. During her time in college, Hill began working part-time for local BBC Radio in various paid and voluntary positions, starting in 1986 and continuing until 1991. Her first job in radio was as a junior music correspondent, although she admittedly had little knowledge about the local indie bands.
After completing her studies, Hill moved to the United States and worked as an assistant and researcher to Senate Democrats at the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington. However, her passion for journalism led her back to the UK, and in 1991 she joined the BBC full-time.
Hill began her career at BBC Radio 5 Live, where she worked as a producer for 18 months. She then transitioned to television, joining BBC South Today and BBC Radio Berkshire as a presenter. Eventually, she made her way to national news. In November 1997, she became one of the inaugural presenters on the newly launched BBC News 24-hour channel, initially presenting overnight shifts. She also appeared on BBC World News during the simulcast between the two channels.
Throughout her time at BBC News, Hill has presented coverage of a wide range of stories and events. Notably, she anchored a week of special programs from Washington DC in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Hill also led the live coverage on BBC News and BBC World News of the first anniversary commemorations at Ground Zero in New York City. Additionally, she presented numerous special programs on BBC One and BBC Two during the war in Iraq.
In December 2003, on the day that US forces captured Saddam Hussein, Hill made broadcasting history by presenting for nearly eight hours continuously on both terrestrial channels, BBC News, and BBC World News.
Hill’s ability to report on major events with professionalism and empathy was demonstrated during the BBC’s coverage of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. Deployed to Portugal on the day the news broke, she spent much of May there and conducted the BBC’s first interview with Kate and Gerry McCann.
With her extensive experience and versatility as a newsreader, Hill has become a prominent figure in the field of journalism. Her dedication to delivering accurate and credible news to the public has earned her a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading news presenters in the UK.