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Born in Lancashire, Clive Myrie, 59 studied law before gaining a place on the BBC’s journalism trainee scheme. He became a foreign correspondent, winning a Peabody award in 2017 for his reporting on the plight of the Rohingya, and the David Bloom award in 2018 for his coverage of drug cartels in Mexico. In 2009 he began fronting the BBC News and in 2023 he was named RTS Network Presenter of the Year. Since 2021 he has hosted Mastermind. Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure is on BBC Two and his memoir is Everything is Everything. He is married and lives in London.
When were you happiest?
Whenever I’m with my wife and I’m not preoccupied with work.
What is your earliest memory?
Throwing up on my first day at primary school.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
Your average aid worker, wherever they may be. Any human being doing good by helping others, while putting themselves in harm’s way.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impatience.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty, bullying, selfishness.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Being called upon by President Bush to ask him a question at a press conference when I wasn’t there. He called my name … and there was no response!
Describe yourself in three words
Understanding, generous, humanistic.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My cheeks, they’re very full.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Sidney Poitier.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Juliette Binoche.
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
Anything by Proust.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A tennis player.
What is the worst thing anyone’s ever said to you?
The usual racist shit.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Hard-boiled sweets.
What does love feel like?
Amazing, all-consuming, overwhelming.
What was the best kiss of your life?
The first snog with my wife, Catherine.
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Which living person do you most despise and why?
Too many to mention.
When did you last cry, and why?
Watching the South Korean film Past Lives. I was on a plane and weeping uncontrollably.
When’s the last time you changed your mind about something significant?
When I decided to go to Ukraine for the first time, not knowing Putin would invade 15 hours after I’d landed in Kyiv. I’d originally told my boss I was too tired from a previous assignment.
What is the closest you’ve ever come to death?
Coming under attack while reporting in Iraq.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Time.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Surviving this world.
What keeps you awake at night?
Other people’s suffering.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a decent bloke.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Be kind and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.