Clive Myrie, a current news anchor of the 1pm, 6pm and 10pm BBC news and a veteran BBC correspondent, has been hailed a hero for staying in Kyiv as Russian bombs rain down and troops close in.
It may be a cliche to say that some people run towards danger while others run away, but in the case of the fearless news teams covering the war in Ukraine, it's never been more apparent that it is right now.
Clive Myrie has been in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin ordered its invasion by Russian troops and has been giving updates on the BBC every day, usually live from Kyiv. Explaining why he was staying in the city, he said: “We all want to tell the story of this war, and we want to tell it accurately.”
On March 7, the new anchor tweeted: "A quick thank you for all your good wishes over the last 2 weeks, you’ve all been very kind to me and the BBC teams in Ukraine. I’m now heading back to London, but will return."
After the report, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, called him a hero. She said: “Journalists like Clive Myrie and so many others who report from war zones really are unsung heroes. Their professionalism, calm under pressure and sheer bravery is inspiring. Journalism at its very best.”
Who is Clive Myrie?
Clive Myrie was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1964. His parents are Jamaican immigrants who came to the UK in the 1960s and his mother worked as a seamstress, making garments with high-profile fashion designer Mary Quant> His father was a factory worker.
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Clive went to Hayward Grammar School and then studied Law at the University of Sussex. In 1987, Myrie began working for BBC Local Radio as a reporter and in 1996 he became a foreign correspondent, reporting from more than 80 countries over his long career so far.
Myrie is well-known for presenting the BBC News bulletins at 1pm, 6pm and 10pm, as well as for hosting news shows, occasionally appreaing on Have I Got News for You as well as the BBC World News channels. He also front’s BBC Two quiz show Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind.
Did Clive Myrie shed a tear while reporting on the the Russia-Ukraine crisis?
The job of any news broadcaster is to deliver information to viewers and listeners and, on the BBC especially, that must be with impartiality. But with the situation in Ukraine so emotionally charged, and with such shocking news to convey, it's impossible for some humanity not to seep into the broadcast as it appeared to on February 24 when viewers could clearly see a tear on Myrie's cheek as he gave the evening bulletin.
There had also been some cause for alarm earlier in the day as mid-broadcast, Myrie changed from his warm coat and scarf into a bullet-proof press jacket following the air-raid sirens going off as he spoke to Lyse Doucet, another BBC correspondent stationed with him out in Ukraine.
Notable work
Clive Myrie has won award nominations for his work, notably a nod from Bafta for his coverage of the Mozambique floods in 2000. He won a Bayeux-Calvados Award for war correspondents, for his work reporting on ethnic violence on the island of Borneo.
Myrie’s mother Lynne told The Sunday Times of her son’s work: "When Clive first appeared on television it was exciting for all of us. We wouldn’t miss a programme. He’s on so much now that, to be honest, it has worn off. I am proud of what he has achieved but I found it a big worry when he was reporting on wars around the world."
Why did Clive Myrie stay so long in Kyiv?
As the situation worsens, and danger to life increases, many wonder why the news teams don't return home. Clive Myrie was in Ukraine from the start of the war in late February 2022, but left on March 7, handing over the reigns to broadcaster, Reeta Chakrabarti. When asked on BBC News why he's stayed in such danger he said: "We feel that we want to tell the story of this war and tell it accurately and fairly. And that is really important because there is so much....," the broadcaster then tails off before resuming: "I was going to use the word 'crap' but I might as well, there is so much crap out there.
"Misinformation, propaganda, nonsense. And what we're trying to, whether it's the New York Times, The Washington Post, Channel 4, ITV, Sky - you're trying to be truthful to this story. You're trying to represent these people," here Myrie gestures behind him to those with whom he's sharing a bunker and continues, "who are having to cower down here -we want to represent them fairly."
One March 7, Clive tweeted: "A quick thank you for all your good wishes over the last 2 weeks, you’ve all been very kind to me and the BBC teams in Ukraine. I’m now heading back to London, but will return."
Who is his wife?
Clive Myrie is married to Catherine Myrie who works as an upholsterer and furniture restore. They reportedly met at a book launch for a book about Swiss Cheese in 1992 and the pair live together in North London.
They were married six years after meeting at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Covent Garden, London. The couple are used to being separated for periods of time due to Myrie's need to travel for the BBC and also to travelling together.
The news broadcaster told the Daily Mail about the timing of his wedding saying: "I’d just been made the BBC’s LA correspondent, so after returning to the UK for our big day, we flew back to the States before honeymooning on Venezuela’s Maracaibo coast."
Speaking to the University of Sussex he said his perfect day would be: "A sunny day waking up to Radio 3 with some Bach on, a lovely breakfast with my wife, then a bit of antique rummaging."
Does Clive Myrie have any children?
It is not publicly know for sure whether Myrie and his wife Catherine share any children together. The pair keep their personal lives very private..
What would have a been if he wasn't a broadcaster, who is his hero and what's the worst advice he every got?
In an spotlight interview given to his old University, the University of Sussex, Clive revealed a number of interesting things about himself saying, a skill he would love to have is plastering. He said: "I’d like to be able to skim a large wall properly."
During the same interview he revealed his hero is fellow broadcaster Trevor McDonald, the leader he most admires Nelson Mandela but if he could have any one at all over for dinner it would be Barack Obama.
He also revealed the worst piece of advice he was every given was to drop French O Level. He said: "I couldn’t do both, so my year tutor at school said I’d be better off taking Physics O Level, and not French. BIG mistake!"
Racism
Myrie has spoken about experiencing racist abuse and death threats. In 2020 he told The Guardian: “I could count on the fingers of one hand the amount of racist abuse that I received from when I started in journalism in 1988 through to about 2008, though there was a guy in the early '90s who would send faeces in the post.”
He continued: “But it has picked up in the last decade and become incredibly more prevalent in the last few years. Why has that happened? I don’t know.”
He also detailed how he'd received a card with a gorilla on the front last year which read: “We don’t want people like you on our TV screens.”
Speaking to the Guardian he said: "“It actually doesn’t really bother me at all. What bothers me is the general sense that we live in a country where some people think racism is either imagined, or in people’s minds, and I think that is a notion that has to be fought."
