After Dinner Speakers: Jonathan Dimbleby, Paul Rankin, Ted Wragg

Jonathan Dimbleby is currently chairman of Any Questions? and presenter of Any Answers? On BBC Radio 4; and presents Jonathan Dimbleby, ITV’s main network political programme (LWT). In 1969, he joined Radio Bristol as a television reporter, moving to Radio 4’s The World at One and The World This Weekend, which he presented. In 1972 he became a reporter for Thames Television’s current affairs programme, This Week, and in 1979 wrote and presented the documentary series, Jonathan Dimbleby in South America. Moving to Yorkshire Television he made the Jonathan Dimbleby in Evidence series, consisting of: The Police (1980); The Eagle and the Bear (1981); The Bomb (1982); The Cold War Game (1982); The American Dream (1984); Four Years On - The Bomb (1984). From 1982-85 he was Associate Editor and presenter of YTV’s First Tuesday, and from 1985-86 presenter and editor of TV AM’s Jonathan Dimbleby on Sunday. In 1986 he returned to Thames Television as presenter of This Week, and as editor of the documentary series, Witness. For the BBC he presented On the Record from 1988-1993; wrote and presented Review of the Year from 1989-1991; chaired Radio 4’s Election Call in 1992; wrote and presented Russia at the Rubicon in 1990, in which year he also obtained an exclusive interview with President Gorbachev. In 1994 Dimbleby Martin Productions made Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role which he wrote, presented and co-produced for Central Television. In May 1997 he was the main presenter for the ITV coverage of the General Election. In July 1997 his five year documentary series project, The Last Governor, about final years of British rule in Hong Kong, was screen by the BBC. Jonathan Dimbleby has published a number of books including Richard Dimbleby (1975); The Palestinians (1979); The Prince of Wales (1994); The Last Governor (July 1997). His awards include the Society of Film and Television Arts Richard Dimbleby Award for ‘the most outstanding factual contribution to television’ - The Unknown Famine (1974). He is a graduate and fellow of University College London where he met and married his wife, the writer Bel Mooney. He is President of the Council for the Protection of Rural England (1992-1997). His recreations include tennis, music and rural life. He farms just outside Bath.