Tim Franks
Timothy Henry Franks is a British journalist and radio presenter who presents Newshour, the flagship news and current affairs programme on BBC World Service radio. He also, from time to time, presents Hardtalk on BBC World News, and documentaries across BBC TV and radio. He was previously an award-winning foreign correspondent for the BBC.
Early and personal life
Franks was born in Moseley, Birmingham. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and at Wadham College, Oxford University, where he graduated with a 2:1 in Oriental Studies. He is married, and has three children.Early career
He joined the BBC in 1990, as a BBC World Service production trainee, and spent five years as a producer, reporter and part-time presenter. In 1995, he was appointed World Service Political Reporter, based at Westminster, and then World Service Political Correspondent in 1997. He covered not just British politics but events in Northern Ireland, including the breakdown of the IRA ceasefire in 1996, civil disorder over the Parades in Northern Ireland, and the Good Friday Agreement.In 1999, he became a political correspondent for domestic BBC TV and radio, including a spell as the political correspondent for the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He also started presenting, from time to time, The World at One and contributing to the arts pages of the New Statesman magazine.
Foreign correspondent
In 2001, Franks became a BBC Foreign Correspondent. His first posting was to Washington, in the six months after the September 11 attacks. In March 2002 he began a five-year tour of duty as Europe Correspondent, based in Brussels. He reported from across Europe, as well as from Iraq during the war of 2003. In 2004, his training for the London Marathon coincided with a month spent in Baghdad. He was also, during this time, used as an occasional presenter on the Today programme.In 2007, he was appointed BBC Middle East Correspondent, based in Jerusalem. He broadcast across the region, but with a particular focus on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. His 2008 TV report about witnessing a deadly attack in Jerusalem drew complaints from the public for its graphic nature. In 2009, Franks won a Bayeux-Calvados Award for war correspondents for reporting for his piece on Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, who lost three daughters in Israel's offensive during the Gaza War. Through his three and a half years in the region, Franks kept a diary, which the BBC regularly published. His valedictory From Our Own Correspondent, which dealt with the relationship between his Jewishness and his journalism, garnered wide attention.