Jeremy Paxman Biography

Fast Facts

• Is an Honorary Fellow of St․ Catharine's College at Cambridge and St․ Edmund's Hall at Oxford
• Won a BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award for Best Presenter for "Newsnight" in 2000
• Graduated from St․ Catharine's College at Cambridge University with a degree in English
• Was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Leeds University and Bradford University
• Started out as a current affairs reporter on television in Northern Ireland
• Joined "Tonight" in 1977 and "Panorama" in 1979, the latter of which saw him traveling to Africa, Central America, and the Middle East on assignments
• Is sometimes criticized for his blunt and probing methods of interviewing, although his supporters claim he is simply "doing what [he] does best - asking powerful people difficult questions․"
• Best known as a journalist and author who regularly appears on "Newsnight․"
• Wrote the books "Political Animal: An Anatomy," "On Royalty: A Very Polite Inquiry into Some Strangely Related Families," and "Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British․"
• Made a cameo appearance in the 2004 film "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason․"