Andrew Harding – Q&A

Name?
Andrew Harding

Age?
39

Where are you from?
Surrey, I guess. But I’ve been an expat more or less full-time since the age of six.

How did you get started in broadcasting?
I got a broadcast diploma from City University, then decided to try my luck freelancing in the Soviet Union.

When was that?
My visa application was at the Soviet Embassy in London when the 1991 coup kicked off.

Why News broadcasting?
I was hooked before I had a chance to figure that one out.

Where else would have viewers seen or heard you before?
Two Chechen wars, Afghanistan, Moscow, four years in Africa (mostly covering more wars in Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Congo), embedded in Iraq, the Asian tsunami. All for BBC radio and tv.

What is your Best on-air moment?
The few times I’ve allowed myself to hope that my reports might actually make a difference.

What is your Worst on-air moment?
The blind panic of my first tv live. Saying fig leaf instead of olive branch for an entire two-way. The list goes on….

What would you like to do before your career ends?
More of the same please.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Hang out with my three young boys.

What advice would you give to anyone that would like to get into the broadcasting world?
Packing a rucksack did the trick for me.

A big thanks to Andrew for taking part.

Posted by on Thursday 21 May 2009
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