Who is Clive Myrie, the BBC Proms presenter?
Everything you need to know about the Mastermind presenter and new star of the BBC Proms presenting line-up, Clive Myrie
Clive Myrie's deep voice is recognised across the UK, but it's usually heard breaking news, investigating injustices or reporting live from a war zone. Recently, however, you might have spotted him in slightly more surprising – and musical – places... the BBC Proms perhaps?
Who is Clive Myrie?
Clive Myrie is a BBC journalist, newsreader and presenter, who also presents the quiz show Mastermind.
He has worked for the BBC almost exclusively throughout his career as a journalist and broadcaster, having started out in BBC local news in Bristol before he was posted as a foreign correspondent to Japan, America, France and Africa, before becoming the BBC's Europe correspondent based in Brussels. In 2009, he became a presenter on the BBC News Channel, a segue to becoming one of the BBC's leading newsreaders.
As well as reading the news, Myrie has presented documentaries and reports on the Rohingya refugee crisis, the Mozambique floods and the Kathmandu earthquake. At the start of 2022, he became one of the lead anchors reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Myrie joined the presenting line-up for the BBC Proms in 2021, the same year he became the new presenter of BBC's iconic quiz show Mastermind.
Is Clive Myrie a musician?
Clive Myrie learnt the violin and trumpet as a teenager in his youth orchestra, and has spoken about having performed music by Schubert and Musorgsky when he was interviewed on the BBC's programme Essential Classics in 2017.
Clive Myrie is a big jazz fan. He joined the Proms line-up in 2021 to present the BBC's TV coverage of the Prom with saxophonist Nubya Garcia.
He previously hosted a ten-part series on Jazz FM exploring the last 100 years of jazz music-making.
He is also said to be a big lover of opera.
Which 2023 BBC Proms is Clive Myrie presenting?
We know he'll be presenting the First Night of the Proms this year live from the Royal Albert Hall. This year's First Night of the Proms will feature Sibelius's Finlandia and Snöfrid, plus Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor and Britten's Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. You'll also hear the world premiere of a new work by Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak.
Performers will include pianist Paul Lewis, the BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and copnductor (and BBC MUsic Magazine Personality of the Year) Dalia Stasevska.
Clive is joined in the presenting line-up this year by Katie Derham (who will present the Last Night of the Proms), plus newsreader Huw Edwards and BBC Europe editor Katya Adler. We'll have updates on this year's other Proms presenters soon.
Check out the full schedule for this year's BBC Proms here.
Authors
Freya Parr is BBC Music Magazine's Digital Editor and Staff Writer. She has also written for titles including the Guardian, Circus Journal, Frankie and Suitcase Magazine, and runs The Noiseletter, a fortnightly arts and culture publication. Freya's main areas of interest and research lie in 20th-century and contemporary music.
