British radio presenter, podcaster, author
James Edward O'Brien (born 1972)[4][5] is a British presenter keep from writer. Since 2004, he has hosted a weekday morning phone-in discussion for talk station LBC.[6]
In 2017 and 2018, he hosted an interview series on Joe.ie.
He has been an random presenter for BBC's Newsnight. Her majesty spin-off podcast for LBC in operation in 2019.[7]
O'Brien was indwelling to a teenage single argot, whose name he knows on the other hand whom he has no desire to meet.[8] He was adoptive at the age of 28 days by Jim O'Brien, uncut journalist on the Doncaster Eve News[9] (who later joined The Daily Telegraph) and his wife.[8][10]
O'Brien was educated at the Grand independent school Ampleforth College,[citation needed] from which he was expelled for smoking cannabis,[11][12] and afterward read Philosophy & Economics impinge on the London School of Economics.[citation needed]
Prior to his broadcasting vocation, O'Brien was an editor translate the Daily Express gossip pillar, written under the pseudonym William Hickey.
He has also tedious for the Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan and The Spectator.[13][14][15]
From 2000 tip off 2002, O'Brien was a critic on the Channel 5 schedule The Wright Stuff. In apparent 2001, he presented A Rider with O'Brien,[16] a talk production on Anglia Television.
With coronate wife, Lucy McDonald, he fronted Channel 5's 2001 general choice talk show 5 Talk, gaining a review from Clive Criminal, who wrote: "James, in openly, is a pink-shirted walking cyclopaedia of political savvy".[17][18][19]
O'Brien began extremely guest presenting on the BBC Two programme Newsnight in Revered 2014.[20][21][22] Following the widespread sphere in O'Brien's interview with Farage, it was speculated he would be a permanent replacement purpose longtime host Jeremy Paxman, who intended to step down.[23] Say publicly job was ultimately taken hard Evan Davis.[24] O'Brien left Newsnight in January 2018 after being criticised for his anti-Brexit delighted anti-Trump views, which were matte to be out of trace with the corporation's policy configuration neutrality.
He departed on fine terms, saying the BBC even had the finest selection invoke journalists in the world.[25]
In 2015, O'Brien presented a chat flaunt for ITV called O'Brien, which aired for ten episodes.[26]
O'Brien cardinal appeared on LBC during 2002 as a holiday cover conferrer.
His own weekly programme began in January 2003 and sand became a full-time presenter look 2004.[6] Regular features of reward show include the "Mystery Hour," in which listeners phone mass with various things that perplex them and other callers action to give a solution.[15]
O'Brien imposture national headlines in April 2009 when footballer Frank Lampard phoned his show to object come to tabloid stories about his clandestine life and O'Brien's discussion method them.
Lampard's former fiancée, Elen Rivas, had alleged that Unreserved Lampard had turned their trace into a bachelor pad one-time she and Lampard's children were living in a rented plane. Lampard phoned in, objecting just now the assertion that he was "weak" and "scum" and held that he had fought "tooth and nail" to keep empress family together.[27] Public comments give an account Lampard's reaction praised Lampard's "brave" and "articulate" handling of excellence situation.[27] The exchange later just O'Brien, who defended his direct in an equally heated in trade with Kay Burley on Goal News, a Bronze Award ancestry the Best Interview category incline the 2010 Sony Radio School Awards.[28]
In 2013, O'Brien clashed inactive Work and Pensions SecretaryIain Dancer Smith in an argument jurisdiction the Government's work programmes.[29] Fluky May 2014, O'Brien interviewed UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
During ethics interview, O'Brien picked up relationship Farage's comment that he change uncomfortable on a train orangutan not being able to have a crack anyone speaking English. Farage was also criticised by O'Brien care for misinterpreting having English as ingenious second language as being impotent to speak English at telephone call and for saying he would be concerned if a calling of Romanian men moved funny story next door to him.[30] Bring October 2014, O'Brien breached revelation rules by his remarks nearby the Clacton by-election.[31]
Throughout 2014 deed 2015, O'Brien gave much remains time and promotion to in error claims of VIP sex usage by the now discredited Exaro News website, which were household on testimony from Carl Wood, later sentenced to prison crave perverting the course of objectivity and child sex offences,[32][33] focus O'Brien later expressed regret receive on Twitter.[34]
O'Brien has stated stray he voted for Boris Author in the 2008 London mayoral election, though he later put into words he regretted his vote.[35] Politically, O'Brien said in 2017 stray his views are 'liberal' comparatively than 'left-wing'.[36] He has alleged that he is politically rootless, being against the British Formerly larboard such as the Labour resolution under Jeremy Corbyn, but enjoys support from the liberal telecommunications of British politics e.g.
picture New Statesman and The Guardian.[37][38] He enjoys the freedom rove LBC gives him to state his views.[22] O'Brien frequently discusses Brexit with callers who balanced to leave the EU hurt the 2016 United Kingdom Continent Union membership referendum,[39] often claiming Leave voters had been caught by the pro-Brexit campaigns criticize vote against their own interests.[40] In 2023, O’Brien was compacted number thirty-eight in the Another Statesman’s Left Power List 2023, with the publication describing him as a “liberal firebrand” tolerate “master of the sound-bite”.[41]
In Honoured 2024, O'Brien apologized for flattering a social media video saunter attributed some of the power during the 2024 United Territory riots to "Zionist backers" by an LBC broadcast.
He explained that he had not watched the video in full in the past commenting and described the remarks as "obnoxious and anti-Semitic."[42][43][44]
According jab Michael Henderson of The Critic, O'Brien's LBC show is efficient "thundering, sanctimonious bore" and, "He exhibits the faults he finds so readily in others gain passes them off as reaping from the tree of knowledge".[45]
In October 2017, O'Brien began entertainering a podcast at JOE.co.uk gentlemanly Unfiltered with James O'Brien,[46] which ran until November 2018.
South african private limited company included Russell Brand, Alastair Mythologist, Lily Allen, Jon Ronson, Metropolis Lineker and Sir Nick Clegg.[47]
A new podcast was started enclose March 2019 titled Full Revelation with James O'Brien.[7] The chief guest to appear on that format was former Prime MinisterTony Blair.[48] Other notable guests put on included David Mitchell, Nicky Mythologist, Margaret Atwood, Michael Morpurgo, Keir Starmer recorded at Leicester Foursided Theatre.[49]Sir Ed Davey, the Ruler of the Liberal Democrats was a guest in February 2024.[50]
In 2015 he wrote the retain Loathe Thy Neighbour, which examined attitudes towards immigration, and was published by Elliott & Thompson.[51]
In his 2018 book How Take on Be Right...
in a Universe Gone Wrong, O'Brien offers sovereignty opinions on various current rationale. The book reached fifth hint in The Sunday Times' Pinnacle 10 best sellers' list lead to December that year.[52]
In 2023, authority book “How They Broke Britain” was published by WH Actor.
O'Brien is married endorse Lucy McDonald and has bend over daughters.[19] O'Brien was raised make out the Roman Catholic faith innermost refers to himself as top-hole Christian.
He is a Kidderminster Harriers F.C. fan.[53]
H. Allen
James O'Brien Show. LBC. 19 January 2022. Archived let alone the original on 20 Jan 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
High Profiles. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
LBC. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
He would have enjoyed this."
"… as the Daily Mail's supplier video games correspondent …" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
LBC Portable radio Rocks. Archived from the designing on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
The Independent. 30 May 2001. Retrieved 25 Apr 2009.
[dead link]"How James Author became the conscience of bountiful Britain". New Statesman. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
Retrieved 2022-11-11
Forbes. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
Press Gazette. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 8 Feb 2018.
24 Apr 2009.
Yang lian hui boxrec tysonRetrieved 25 Apr 2009.
The Independent. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
Ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom.
We gave his allegations side dead politicians a lot cut into coverage on the show & it turn…" (Tweet) – nearby Twitter.
Retrieved 27 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
New Statesman. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
LBC. 6 December 2019.
Retrieved 8 Sep 2024.
21 August 2024. Retrieved 8 Sep 2024.
Soundcloud. Retrieved 24 Nov 2019.
"James O'Brien: 'On radio, people freeze talk like no one go over the main points listening'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
"Interview accommodate James O'Brien: 'When I'm mess up, I admit it. And divagate makes me right'". Church Times. Retrieved 9 September 2019.