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Tim Radford

1940 – 2025

British–New Zealand journalist

Journalist Reporter Sub-editor
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About Tim Radford

Lived 1940 – 2025 (aged 84). Tim Radford was a New Zealand journalist, reporter and sub-editor.

Timothy Robin Radford (9 October 1940 – 10 February 2025) was a British journalist who was the science editor for The Guardian newspaper from 1980 to 2005.

Early life Timothy Robin Radford was born in Rawene, New Zealand, on 9 October 1940, and grew up in Devonport, near Auckland. He was educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland. At 16, he joined The New Zealand Herald as a reporter. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1961, where he worked for Fishing News, followed by jobs on local newspapers. He then had a stint as a civil servant, working at first as a Whitehall information officer,

Career Radford worked for The Guardian for 32 years. Over the course of his career, he was letters editor, arts editor, literary editor, and science editor — holding the last post from 1980 until 2005. Radford became increasingly interested in climate change and wrote his first book The Crisis of Life on Earth in 1990.

Lifetime achievement award for services to science journalism, 2004 Best feature on science subject in a national or regional newspaper, 2004, for Touching the Void, published in The Guardian on 22 July 2004 Best communication of science in a non-science context, 2001, for Tell us, Solly, published in the London Review of Books on 20 September 2001 Other awards in 1992 and 1997

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Employers
The Guardian, The New Zealand Herald
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Also known as
Timothy Robin Radford, Timothy Robin Ballantyne Radford

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tim Radford's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tim Radford?

British–New Zealand journalist

When was Tim Radford born?

Tim Radford was born on 9 October 1940 in Rawene.

When did Tim Radford die?

Tim Radford died on 10 February 2025.

What was Tim Radford's occupation?

Tim Radford was a journalist, reporter and sub-editor.

What nationality was Tim Radford?

Tim Radford was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tim Radford

· Wikidata: Q7804143

· DBpedia: Tim Radford

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tim Radford. https://biography.guide/tim-radford/

MLA: "Tim Radford." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tim-radford/.

Chicago: "Tim Radford." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tim-radford/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-25 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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