Jeremy Thompson, one of the longest serving journalists and news anchors in the UK, has announced he will be retiring at the end of the year. 

Thompson, who has worked in television news for more than 40 years, is the anchor of Sky News’ early evening programme as well as frequently broadcasting on location from the heart of the story. 

Thompson has worked for all the major news broadcasters in the UK; the BBC, ITV and finally Sky where he started as a foreign correspondent in 1993.  He has covered many of the most important news events of our time and has reported from more than 100 countries across the world. 

In 1999, he was the first TV journalist to broadcast live as British peacekeeping forces arrived in Kosovo. He covered the first Gulf War in 1990/91 and in 2003 he anchored Sky News’ coverage of the second Gulf War from Iraq. There he presented every night for a month on the frontline, and was the first anchor to present from inside Baghdad.

Most recently Jeremy has reported from the streets of Paris in the wake of the 2015 terrorist attacks; from the heart of London on the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings; and in Doncaster reporting on the dramatic election night defeat of Ed Miliband. He was also in South Africa to cover the death of Nelson Mandela and the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius.  

Other major news events Jeremy has covered include the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Soham murders, the Madrid train bombing, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Israel-Lebanon conflict and the death of Pope John Paul II. In 2007 Jeremy presented live coverage from Praia de Luz in the days following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. In 2008 he covered the Beijing Olympics – his 5th Olympic Games. He has also reported on 9 British elections including Margaret Thatcher’s first ballot victory in 1979, and Tony Blair coming to power in 1997. In 2010 he anchored coverage of Sky News’ historic leaders’ debate in Bristol and reported live from Downing Street as Gordon Brown announced his resignation as Prime Minister. Jeremy also anchored from Pakistan following the death of Osama bin Laden, presented live on the ground in Tripoli during the uprisings in Libya, and was one of the first journalists given permission by the Syrian Government to report from Damascus during the current civil conflict. During his time at Sky News he has also set up two bureaux – the first in South Africa in 1994 and a second a year later in Washington DC..

Among the awards received for his work are three Emmys from the US Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, three Gold Medals for Best News Reporter from the New York TV Festival, three BAFTAs, and the Royal Television Society award for Sky’s coverage of the Kosovo conflict. He was named RTS Presenter of the Year in 2006.

John Ryley, Head of Sky News commented: “Jeremy Thompson is a master of his craft. His career has been an extraordinary achievement that few journalists have equalled. I have learned much from him; his deft handling of the most sensitive situations, his gut instinct for what the real story is, and his mass appeal to our viewers who trust him to bring them the latest news from wherever he happens to be in the world. He leaves the strongest of legacies and I, along with all my colleagues at Sky, will miss him a great deal.”

Jeremy will remain with Sky News until after the US election – making this the sixth he has covered in his stellar career. 

For further information please contact:

Lucy Ellison

lucy.ellison@sky.uk