Michael Charlton

File:The start of TV ABC.ogv

The first ever broadcast of ABC Television - presented by Michael Charlton, 5 November 1956.

Michael Charlton (born 1 May 1927 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian-born journalist and broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for many years.

Career

Charlton is the elder brother of Australian sports broadcaster and Order of Australia recipient Tony Charlton. he initially he worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) as a presenter in current affairs and commentator for Test cricket matches, but later moved to London. He was the Australian representative on the BBC radio cricket commentary team for the 1956 Test series between England and Australia. In 1961 he was the inaugural presenter of Four Corners, an Australian current affairs programme. In 1963 he was the recipient of the Australian Gold Logie award.

Reporter and Interviewer

From 1962 to 1976 he was a reporter and interviewer for Panorama, reporting live from America in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. In July 1969 he reported live from mission control for the BBC during the Apollo 11 moon landing. Later, during the 1980s, he presented It's Your World, a phone-in programme on the BBC World Service.

Later career

Charlton wrote the 1986 seven-episode documentary TV series Out of the Fiery Furnace with Robert Raymond. The series traced the development of metallurgy from the stone age to the space age. Nuclear industrial advocate Ian Hore-Lacy also worked closely with the production team. The series was shown in 20 countries.