Jeremy Thompson is a newsreader on Sky News, regularly presenting Live at Five weeknights at 5pm.
One of Britain’s most experienced television newsmen, Jeremy has been a correspondent for the BBC, ITN and Sky News, covering many of the major news events of our time, reporting from nearly 100 countries around the globe and running foreign bureaux in Asia, Africa and the USA.
Jeremy is frequently Sky News’ leading anchor on major stories, often presenting on location. Recent assignments have included reporting from Rome and Vatican City on the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, as well as the London bombings of July 2005, Hurricane Rita and the Asian Tsunami where he was the first British presenter on the scene, reporting live from Phuket on the immediate aftermath of the disaster. He reported live from Israeli city of Haifa during the 2006 Lebanon War.
As a foreign correspondent, Jeremy has covered over a dozen wars and civil conflicts. In 1999, he was the first TV newsman to broadcast live as British peacekeeping forces rolled into Kosovo.
In 2003, Jeremy anchored Sky News’ coverage of the second Gulf War from Iraq, and was the first anchor to present from inside Baghdad. He travelled as a roving reporter and as well as presenting Live at Five each evening, secured a number of exclusives, including reporting from the villa of so-called ‘Chemical Ali’.
Since moving back to London as a presenter in 1998, Jeremy has been involved in many of Sky News’ biggest live news events, anchoring both from the studio and out in the field. They include : the Liberation of Kosovo in 1999, 9/11, the Soham murders and the Madrid Train Bombing. In 2007 Jeremy anchored live coverage from Praia de Luz in the days following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He also reported from Kingston, Jamaica on the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, a man he knew personally for more than 25 years. And in 2008 Jeremy covered the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as following the Obama v McCain election.
Following Sky News’ relaunch in October 2005, Jeremy continued to have a big role at the channel. In January 2006 he headed the channel’s coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s deteriorating health. This included anchoring from Jerusalem and the West Bank, appearing on his usual 5pm slot and other Sky News shows in which he usually has no involvement. For instance, he co-presented World News Tonight on two occasions, with James Rubin in the London studio.
Previously Jeremy was a foreign correspondent based in Washington and Hong Kong from where he covered some of the major world events of the last 20 years.
Among the awards received for his work are an Emmy from the US Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, three Gold Medals for Best News Reporter from the New York TV Festival, and the Royal Television Society award for Sky’s coverage of the Kosovo conflict. He was named RTS Presenter of the Year in 2006. The citation from the judges said that Jeremy “has a unique ability to capture the moment, to know which tiny little things really matter and – crucially – he knows when to shut up and let the pictures do the talking.”