Paddy O'Connell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guy Patrick Bennett O'Connell (born 11 March 1966), better known as Paddy O'Connell is a British television and radio presenter.
O'Connell appears across a broad range of BBC programmes, from news to light entertainment. He's the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme, and anchors BBC Two's business news programme Working Lunch every Friday. He's also a regular business news presenter on BBC Breakfast. Alongside all this, he commentates on the semi-finals of the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
[edit] Career
Patrick O'Connell began his career working on a range of BBC local radio stations across the UK, before joining BBC Radio Five Live at its launch in 1994, and worked on BBC World Service's The World programme, also broadcast on a number of radio stations across the US. He worked on other radio stations across the world, including in Australia and Canada.
Paddy went on to spend some years in New York as the BBC's Wall Street anchor. He appeared regularly on BBC World, BBC News 24 and BBC One news bulletins reporting on and presenting business news.
He was in New York at the time of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001 - indeed, he was due to attend a meeting inside the World Trade Center on that day. Paddy reported from the scene of the attacks just hours later, interviewing survivors in the aftermath, and anchored the BBC's coverage from the scene that evening.
Paddy was also a main presenter on the BBC's World Business Report programme on BBC World and BBC News 24, before leaving New York and the BBC in 2003. He then went freelance, and continued to do a wide range of work for the BBC, including presenting various shows on the corporation's youth-orientated digital channel BBC Three. He worked on shows such as Liquid News, Flashmob - The Opera, Celebdaq and BBC Three News. He was also a regular presenter on London's LBC 97.3 radio station.
Paddy joined the team on BBC Two's daily Working Lunch programme in 2003, and now presents the programme every Friday, and occasionally at other times. He also appears regularly as a business presenter on BBC Breakfast filling in for regular presenter Declan Curry. On radio, Paddy is the main presenter of the weekly BBC Radio 4 Sunday morning show, Broadcasting House.
Since 2004, Paddy has commentated on the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals on BBC Three. He also presents various behind-the-scenes segments at the Eurovision Song Contest, shown on BBC Three and BBCi. In a Eurovision first, he broadcast live to the UK from the commentary area in Athens during the 2006 semi-final.
[edit] Education
Paddy O'Connell was educated at Gresham's School, a boys' independent school in the small town of Holt, Norfolk, in England, and at the University of Aberdeen in the city of Aberdeen, in Scotland.
[edit] Trivia
Paddy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He was once listed as one of the top 40 gay men on TV by Attitude magazine.
