Declan Harvey

Declan Harvey
Born (1983-09-13) 13 September 1983 (age 41)
EducationScoil Colmcille
Alma materSt Eunan's College
Rose Bruford College
London College of Communication
OccupationBroadcast journalist
Known forBBC Newsline
Evening Extra
Radio 1 Newsbeat
LBC Radio

Declan Harvey (born 13 September 1983) is a journalist and presenter with BBC News. He anchors the BBC's flagship nightly television news programme in Northern Ireland, BBC Newsline, and the daily radio drive time news programme, Evening Extra, on BBC Radio Ulster.

Classical training

[edit]

Harvey is a classically trained actor, and holds a first-class honours degree in acting from Rose Bruford College.[1] He worked for several years as a professional actor[2] on stage and television, and voice-over artist. He had many roles on stage and on television.[3] He was arrested on The Bill.[3]

Harvey holds an MA in Theatre Practices, specialising in voice. He has worked as a professional voice and communications coach.

Career

[edit]

Harvey qualified from the London College of Communication[4] as a broadcast journalist in 2010. During his training, he volunteered at OnFM 101.4, a community radio station based in Hammersmith, where he presented a weekend magazine programme, LiveWires, with Storm Huntley.

Global Radio

[edit]

Harvey joined the Global radio group in 2010, as a reporter working across LBC, Classic FM, Capital FM and Heart. He was also a relief presenter on the rolling news station LBC News.

He became the full-time reporter for the award-winning Nick Ferrari at Breakfast programme. During his time at Global, Harvey was the lead correspondent covering the July 7th London Bombings Inquests,[5] the preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics, which were held in London, and the Stephen Lawrence murder trial in 2011 – 2012.[6]

He was a contributor to Dale&Co, the political column website by Iain Dale.

BBC Radio 1

[edit]

In 2012, Harvey joined Newsbeat on BBC Radio 1, later becoming a political reporter,[7] covering two UK general elections, and the 2016 US presidential election, as well as that year's Brexit referendum.

BBC World Service

[edit]

In 2017, he became a frequent relief presenter on Newsday for the BBC World Service. Harvey fronted BBC Minute for a short time.

BBC Northern Ireland

[edit]

He relocated to Northern Ireland in 2017, becoming a news reporter for BBC News NI across radio and television. In 2020, it was announced that he would become a full-time presenter of Evening Extra, alongside Tara Mills.[8][9][10] The two would later be joined by Richard Morgan on a full-time basis.[9]

Throughout 2021, Harvey co-created and co-hosted the BBC podcast Year '21, a 'week-by-week' telling of how Northern Ireland was created, exactly 100 years previous. The podcast received critical acclaim[11] and a number of international awards[12] and nominations. In 2023, the team produced a follow-up series, Year '98 The Making of the Good Friday Agreement.

In December 2021, the BBC announced[13] that Harvey would become a main anchor of its flagship television news programme, BBC Newsline. He rotates his presenting duties between TV and radio.

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Category Awards Programme/Station
2011 Young Journalist of the Year IRN Sky News Awards[14] LBC Won
2014 National Radio Journalist of the Year Sony Radio Awards[4] BBC Newsbeat Finalist
2019 News Reporter of the Year IMRO Irish Radio Awards [15] BBC News NI Gold
2019 Best Documentary New York Festivals Radio Awards[16] Did a Serial Killer Murder My Sister? Bronze
2021 Best Podcast New York Festivals Radio Awards[17] Year '21 Finalist
2021 Best News Programme IMRO Irish Radio Awards [18] Evening Extra Silver
2022 Best History Podcast New York Festivals Radio Awards [12] Year '21 Silver
2022 News Broadcaster of the Year IMRO Irish Radio Awards [19] BBC News NI Gold
2023 News Broadcaster of the Year IMRO Irish Radio Awards BBC News NI Gold

Background and personal life

[edit]

He was born in, and grew up in, Letterkenny.

As a youth, Harvey attended Scoil Colmcille and St Eunan's College for his education.[20][21] As a child, he was a member of Rainbow Theatre Group.[22] Harvey began working at Highland Radio as a summer job when he was 15, answering phones.[3] He moved to England to attend drama school aged 19.

Declan lives with his partner, Ciarán, in Belfast.[2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The things we wished we'd known at uni... Five Northern Ireland faces recall their student days". Belfasttelegraph.
  2. ^ a b "Declan Harvey: 'I don't think I'd be where I am today without drama training'". 18 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Sharkey, Conor (23 April 2020). "Letterkenny man moves up to Radio Ulster's Evening Extra: Latest move in colourful career of Declan Harvey". Donegal News. p. 27.
  4. ^ a b "News // Two LCC graduates are nominated in 'Journalist of the Year' categories for the UK's most prestigious radio awards". 28 January 2019.
  5. ^ "7/7: The search for the hero who comforted a dying man". BBC News. 7 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Stephen Lawrence Trial". LBC. 30 December 2011.
  7. ^ Harvey, Declan (30 August 2012). "Demand from emergency food banks is 'still rising'". BBC.
  8. ^ "New broadcasting role for Letterkenny man". Donegal News. 19 March 2020. p. 17.
  9. ^ a b "Tara Mills and Declan Harvey on taking over BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra during the coronavirus pandemic". Belfasttelegraph.
  10. ^ "Declan Harvey to host Radio Ulster Drive". Radio Today. 12 March 2020.
  11. ^ "'Don't you wish you were taught history in this way?' Tara Mills and Declan Harvey on Year '21 podcast". Belfasttelegraph.
  12. ^ a b "Winners Gallery - New York Festivals".
  13. ^ "Declan Harvey becomes new Newsline presenter". BBC News. 17 December 2021.
  14. ^ "IRN's posts: IRN Awards 2011: Best Young Journalist, Declan Harvey LBC 97.3 di Apple Podcasts".
  15. ^ "All the winners from the IMRO Radio Awards 2019". 4 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Winners Gallery - New York Festivals".
  17. ^ "Finalists List - New York Festivals".
  18. ^ "IMROs: BBC NI wins six gold awards at Irish radio ceremony". BBC News. October 2021.
  19. ^ "Winners 2022 - IMRO". Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  20. ^ Walsh, Paddy (23 January 2020). "The Past, the Present, the Future: Special day in Letterkenny school - What they did next". Donegal News. p. 29.
  21. ^ "Declan Harvey - Saint Eunan's College Wellread Morning 15/05/19". YouTube.
  22. ^ "Video: BBC Newsbeat's Declan Harvey gives us the social network lowdown". Donegal News. 24 January 2014. Here's a picture of Declan back in the day honing his acting skills while a student at St Eunan's College in Letterkenny.
[edit]