John Suchet (born 29 March 1944, surname pronounced /ˈsuːʃeɪ/) is a British news reader and television presenter. He is most famous for being a newsreader for ITV News from 1972 until 2004. During this time, he presented News at 12.30/News at One and News at Ten, but became best-known for his presenting the Early Evening News between 1992 (when it was introduced to replace the News At 5:40) and 1999 when the bulletin was dropped. Initially, he alternated with Carol Barnes as the regular presenter of the Early Evening News but by 1994 he had become the sole main host and thereafter replaced Michael Nicholson as 'the face of the evening news'. He also anchored or contributed to countless special event programmes, including royal occasions (he was one of the main commentators on ITN's coverage of Princess Diana's funeral), the Budget and ITN's election coverage.
He currently presents Five News. He has also been a guest presenter for ITV's This Morning, as well as being a guest panellist on Five's The Wright Stuff.
Suchet attended Uppingham School, Rutland, and then the University of Dundee, whence he now holds an honorary doctorate
Suchet is a huge fan of and writer on Beethoven and has toured with his material.
He presents Composer's Notes on Classic FM, a show in which he examines the wealth of famous composers.
John is the older brother of actor David Suchet, best known for his portrayal of Agatha Christie's Poirot.
His father was Jewish, his mother was Anglican. His paternal grandfather was a Latvian Jew who shortened his name from Suchedowitz to Suchet .
Brother of actor David Suchet and father of actor Damian Suchet
In 1970, he left Reuters to join BBC Television's News Department in London, where he was sub-editing BBC News [then called BBC News And Newsreel] programmes.
After leaving the BBC in 1972, and intending to return one year later to the TV licence-funded BBC instead staying at ITN until 2004, he became a news reporter after a short stint sub-editing. Suchet was a news reporter at ITN for 12 years. He famously went to Afghanistan in 1979, dressed as businessmen to fool the mujahedeen who occupied the country illegally. But, it backfired for John and his camera crew who were then found out by the mujahedeen and almost were killed on the spot. Neverless, he got an a world exclusive story, and went to Afghanistan in 1981 and almost had the same fate.
John Suchet began his journalism career at Reuters news agency, in 1968. He was assigned to his first big story to Paris: the main story being the student riots which ended President de Gaulle's historic presidency of the previous ten years.
