Paddy O'Connell

Guy Patrick O'Connell is an English television and radio presenter. He presents BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme and Newsnight. He is also an occasional presenter of the PM programme.

Early life and education O'Connell was born in Guildford, Surrey. He was educated at Gresham's School in Norfolk and the University of Aberdeen, where he studied political science.

Career O'Connell began his broadcasting career in 1989 on the BBC's local radio trainee scheme, leading to five years spent as a BBC local radio reporter in Devon, Essex and Cleveland. He then joined BBC Radio 5 Live at its launch in 1994, before moving to the United States to present BBC World Service's programme The World. He has also presented and reported for a range of other radio stations across the world, including in Australia and Canada.

In 1997 O'Connell became BBC News's North America Business Correspondent and Wall Street anchor, based in New York City. He appeared regularly on BBC World, BBC News 24 and BBC One news bulletins, reporting on and presenting business news. Alongside Richard Quest, he was the U.S.-based anchor for the BBC's programme World Business Report on BBC World and BBC News 24.

O'Connell was in New York City at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and was due to attend a meeting inside the World Trade Center on that day.

He stayed in New York for a further two years but left the United States and the BBC, in 2003. He then undertook a variety of freelance work, including for the BBC. He fronted news and entertainment shows on the corporation's youth-orientated digital channel BBC Three. He presented Celebdaq, a show based around a celebrity stock exchange, allowing O'Connell to mix his business knowledge with his interest in showbusiness. He also worked on Liquid News, replacing the late Christopher Price as its main presenter; presented the one-off Flashmob – The Opera; and was a main anchor on the BBC's offbeat evening news bulletin The 7 O'Clock News.

O'Connell was one of the main presenters on the daily BBC Two business news programme Working Lunch,

O'Connell has been a regular presenter on the London radio station LBC 97.3.

O'Connell presents the weekly BBC Radio 4 Sunday morning news programme, Broadcasting House. Blachère read her poem on the first anniversary of the death of her partner, the photo-journalist Rémi Ochlik, who died with the veteran war correspondent Marie Colvin during the Syrian Civil War in 2012.

In 2016 he presented a series on BBC Radio 4, Travels with Bob, in which he visited various places in Britain with his Border Terrier.

In 2023 he joined the Newscast (podcast) team, mostly at weekends alongside Laura Kuenssberg.

In November 2024 O'Connell started presenting Newsnight on BBC Two, before becoming a permanent presenter of the programme the following May. He is also an occasional presenter of the PM programme.

Personal life O'Connell is gay and is an ambassador for the charity Stonewall.