John Timpson

Who was John Timpson?

John Harry Robert Timpson OBE, was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, a boys' independent school in Northwood, London.

Born in Kenton, Harrow, Middlesex, on leaving school he went straight into employment at the Wembley News as a sixteen-year-old cub reporter. After five years there and two years of national service in the Royal Army Service Corps, he married his wife Patricia née Whale in 1951 and moved to Norfolk. He then worked for the Eastern Daily Press until, in 1959, he started to work for BBC News as reporter, becoming deputy court correspondent in 1962 covering overseas royal visits. In remained in this post until 1967.

From 1964, he presented Newsroom on BBC 2, the first British television news programme to make the switch to colour on 1 July 1967. He later presented BBC's late evening Tonight programme.

Timpson co-presented the BBC Radio 4 programme Today from 1970 to 1976 and again from 1978 to 1986, working on Tonight during the gap.