The Writers of Wales Database

HUMPHRYS, JOHN

John was born in Splott, Cardiff in 1943. He attended Cardiff High School, before leaving at 15 to work as a reporter on the Penarth Times. He later worked for the Western Mail and joined the BBC in 1966, rising to prominence as a BBC foreign correspondent. John went on to present the Nine O'Clock News during the early 1980s. He has presented BBC Radio 4's Today programme since 1987 and also currently presents Mastermind. John has won many awards for his journalism, including the 2000 Journalist of the Year, the 2003 Gold Sony Radio Award and a silver platter for Crystal Clear Broadcasting from the Plain English Campaign.

John has also written a number of books which explore issues of faith. gastronomy and linguistics. His latest title, Blue Skies & Black Olives (Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 2009) , is an autobiographic exploration of his restoration of a semi-derelict cottage in Greece.

Reviews:
With respect to Blue Skies & Black Olives (Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 2009)

"…a very funny tome…"
Daily Telegraph

"…A sparky, funny, exasperated story that brings Humphrys and his family together in trying but also tender circumstances…"
Iain Finlayson, Times

"...John Humphrys was born to be combative... His cellist son Christopher acts as a gentle foil. Between them they amusingly blend the genres of misery memoir and Mediterranean escapist idyll..."
 FT Weekend


Selected Publications:
Devil's Advocate (Arrow Books, 2000)
The Great Food Gamble (Coronet Books, 2002)
Lost For Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language (Hodder & Stoughton, 2004)
Beyond Words: How Language Reveals the Way We Live Now (Hodder & Stoughton, 2006)
In God We Doubt: Confessions of a Failed Atheist (Hodder & Stoughton, 2007)
Blue Skies & Black Olives (Hodder & Stoughton, 2009)




Beyond Words: How Language Reveals the Way We Live Now (Hodder & Stoughton, 2006)

Here John takes a sharp look at phrases and expressions in current use to expose the often hidden attitudes that lie behind them – from the schoolroom to the boardroom, from Westminster to the weather forecast. Questioning our assumptions, puncturing our illusions and illuminating the way we live now, Beyond Words is a small book that speaks volumes.

To purchase this title from amazon.co.uk, please click on its front cover