George Alagiah: Tributes paid to 'fearless' and 'kind' BBC journalist who has died

Tributes person been paid to BBC writer and writer George Alagiah, who has died of crab aged 67.

Fellow analogous John Simpson said: "A gentler, kinder, much insightful and braver person and workfellow it would beryllium hard to find."

BBC manager wide Tim Davie said that Alagiah "was loved by all".

In a connection connected Monday, Mr Davie said: "George was 1 of the champion and bravest journalists of his procreation who reported fearlessly from crossed the satellite arsenic good arsenic presenting the quality flawlessly,"

"He was much than conscionable an outstanding journalist, audiences could consciousness his kindness, empathy and fantastic humanity."

Alagiah won galore awards during a hugely palmy career, which took him from Southern Africa to galore different parts of the world, via the BBC News astatine Six studio.

Fellow broadcaster Allan Little said the "great strength" of his aged person and mentor was "empathy".

Mr Little, who got to cognize Alagiah astir 30 years agone erstwhile they were some stationed successful Johannesburg, added: "I learned from him, I utilized to ticker him and benignant of marvel astatine the mode helium engaged with people.

"He could talk to anybody from heads of authorities to children successful a exile campy and what was striking is however overmuch radical wanted to speech to him, and I watched him triumph their trust."

"He wanted to beryllium fair, helium didn't privation to beryllium dramatic," helium continued. "And I learned from that - bully reporting, decent journalism is rooted successful quality decency."

Last year, Alagiah's cause revealed that the broadcaster would beryllium taking a interruption from TV aft discovering his cancer, which was archetypal diagnosed successful 2014, had spread.

He had returned to the BBC's News astatine Six successful April 2022, noting however being successful the newsroom had "been specified an important portion of keeping energised and motivated".

Former BBC Africa bureau main Milton Nkosi said it had been "amazing to watch" him enactment due to the fact that helium was "always precise thoughtful successful times of warfare and rebellion and rioting."

"When we are being changeable astatine with teardrop state and rubber bullets, trying to get into the bosom of the story, George was the calming dependable of reason," helium said.

"Because, astatine that point, we each get a small spot passionate astir the story, and we rise our voices and we enactment similar we are panicking, and George would beryllium the 1 who calms america down."

BBC News presenter Clive Myrie took a infinitesimal during a broadcast to wage a idiosyncratic tribute to George "We loved him present astatine BBC News and I loved him arsenic a mentor, workfellow and friend," Myrie said.

While the corporation's information analogous Frank Garden recalled 1 of his "fondest memories" of Alagiah being erstwhile helium went to sojourn him successful infirmary backmost successful 2004. "He brought maine his book, A Passage to Africa, and we talked for hours astir the continent helium loved and spent truthful overmuch of his vocation covering."

Away from journalism, Alagiah's debut novel, The Burning Land - a thriller astir corruption and sidesplitting successful South Africa - was nominated successful 2020 for a Society of Authors grant recognising the champion caller writers implicit 60.

Fellow writer Sarfraz Mansoor called him "the kindest, bravest and astir inspiring radical I person ever been privileged to know".

"Never complained astir his destiny and ever funny astir the world. We are each poorer without him."

BBC information analogous Gordon Corera noted however the operation "never conscionable your heroes" had not applied to him moving with Alagiah.

"He was an inspiration and a relation exemplary arsenic a journalist," he tweeted. "And erstwhile I was fortunate capable to enactment with him, I recovered him the astir benignant and generous colleague."

In an interrogation with BBC Newscast past year, Alagiah was asked if helium felt immoderate work to beryllium a relation exemplary for different non-white radical similar him wishing to go journalists.

"Well, it's a somewhat embarrassing occurrence successful my nonrecreational relation actually," helium replied. "Because erstwhile I started disconnected successful - situation I accidental it 1989, I deliberation I was the BBC's archetypal benignant of afloat fledged overseas analogous and idiosyncratic of colour..."

"I conscionable wanted to beryllium a truly bully journalist, and I didn't privation to beryllium the champion achromatic oregon brownish journalist," helium added, astir erstwhile astir declining an award.

"And idiosyncratic took maine speech and said, 'you idiot, you deliberation it's astir you, don't you? These awards are astir each the radical who look astatine you and think, you know, if that bloke Alagiah tin bash that I tin surely bash it.'"

"Growing up, erstwhile the BBC's George Alagiah was connected TV my dada would shout, 'George is on!'. We'd tally to ticker the antheral who inspired a procreation of British Asian journalists. That country was replicated crossed the UK. We convey you, George. RIP xx."

A tearful Naga Munchetty interrupted the sports quality connected BBC Radio 5 Live connected Monday to interruption the quality of the death. "Apologies for the emotion successful my voice," she said. "He was truthful loved successful the newsroom."

She added: "He was idiosyncratic I looked up to greatly due to the fact that it wasn't his ego, it was ne'er his ego that reassured me, it was the mode helium evidently cared astir what helium was reporting.

"You astir felt, arsenic a quality presenter, helium broke down those barriers."

Chris Bryant MP highlighted however overmuch Alagiah had done to rise consciousness of the symptoms of bowel cancer.

"Everyone who has had cancer, oregon being touched by it, volition cognize the sadness that this infinitesimal brings," helium said. "And the gratitude, for astonishing doctors."

Genevieve Edwards, main enforcement of Bowel Cancer UK, added that helium ne'er "shied distant from talking astir it", and however "that volition person helped countless different radical surviving with bowel crab and volition astir apt person prompted radical to spell and spot their doctors possibly with symptoms that they've been worrying about."

"If bully journalism is astir empathy, and it often is, George Alagiah had it successful spades. He understood injustice and the powerfulness of bully reporting to item it, if not close it..."

Ex-BBC broadcaster and writer Sheila Fogarty called Alagiah "a man and a superb reporter".

Former BBC royal analogous Jenny Bond, who besides worked alongside Alagiah, said helium was "one of the astir delightful, talented and charming men I could ever person wished to know."