Steve Rider started his journalism career with print media, working for the South East London Mercury and writing for the sports news agency Hayters. He then moved to radio, working as a sports reporter for the newly established radio station LBC. He then moved into television in 1979, becoming the presenter for Anglia’s local ITV football highlights show Match of the Week.

STEVE RIDER – TV CAREER

His big television break came in 1980 when he covered the Moscow Olympics for ITV. In 1985, Steve accepted an invitation from the BBC to take over from Harry Carpenter as the presenter of Sportsnight, a role he filled for the next six years. In 1991, he became the primary host of BBC Sports flagship programme Grandstand. He also became their golf presenter and became closely associated with the Ryder Cup, the Open, the US Masters and World Matchplay. He has also fronted coverage for the 1998 Wimbledon championships, the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, the 1999 cricket world cup, football world cups, wrestling, British Formula 3, and several years of the Boat Race. He also presented the BBC’s coverage of The Seve Cup from 2000. He was the presenter of BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year between 1986 and 2004. His last job for the BBC was at the 2005 World Rowing Championships.

He was the anchor for the channel’s coverage of the Commonwealth Games, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. In 1996, his coverage of the Barcelona games won the International Olympic Committee Golden Rings Award, the Royal Television Society Sports Award, and a nomination for a BAFTA. He continued to be their main anchor until the Athens games in 2004.

He returned to ITV later that year, presenting their coverage of Formula One, football world cups, rugby world cups, and the British Touring Car Championship – which he still presents today. He moved from ITV to Sky in 2011, joining them as their F1 Legends host.

He holds the proud title of being the only television journalist to have presented all the major sports magazine programmes on British television, including BBC TV Grandstand, BBC TV Sports Night, ITV World of Sport, and ITV Midweek Sports Special.

Steve was also a popular choice to front documentaries on subjects such as the 2000 Open, Motormouth and the late racing driver Ayrton Senna. He made guest appearances as himself on Goodnight Sweetheart (1993), French and Saunders (2007), Blankety Blank (1999), and They Think It’s All Over (2003.

STEVE RIDER – MOTORSPORTS PRESENTER

Steve developed the BBC’s domestic motorsports profile, pioneering the highly successful British Touring Car Championship through BHP, which became a highly rated Grandstand feature.

He has become strongly involved in corporate videos and work for the motor and golf industries, with clients including Williams, McLaren, HAS, Volvo, Wilson, Nissan, Jordan, Littlewoods, Jaguar, Renault, and the RAC Network Q Rally.

STEVE RIDER – AWARDS

1994: The Television & Radio Industries Club Sports Presenter of the Year
1996: RTA Sports Presenter of the Year
2001: RTA Sports Awards. Best Programme and Judges Award for 2000 Olympic Games coverage
2001: Broadcast Awards Best Sports Programme for Olympic Grandstand
2005: Broadcast Awards Best Sports Programme for Olympic Grandstand covering Matthew Pinsent’s fourth gold medal
2007: RTS Television Sports Awards. Nominated in the Sports Presenter category
2008: BAFTA, Winner in the Best Sports category for coverage of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix Live

In 2003, Steve wrote the official BBC Book on Sports Personality of the Year, looking at its 50-year history. He followed this up in 2006 with Europe at the Masters, which looked into European success at the major golfing event. Then in 2012, he released his autobiography, My Chequered Career: Thirty-Five Years of Televising Motorsport. 

STEVE RIDER – OUTSIDE SPORT

Aside from his duties as one of the country’s best sporting presenters, Steve is a proud charity supporter. He is patron of Headway South Bucks, which supports people with head injuries, and the children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent. He is the Vice-President of the national charity United Response for people with physical and mental health needs and those with learning disabilities. He is also the patron of Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), and patron of Exeter Leukaemia Fund, Vice-President of the DEBRA Gold Society. He has also run the London marathon several times, raising money for Action Research and the Steve Ballesteros Foundation.

STEVE RIDER – CORPORATE WORK

Steve Rider is consistently in high demand for corporate events as a keynote sports speaker, host or moderator. He was the main host of the Autosport Awards for almost three decades.

Clients include BMW, the Fleet News Awards, Motor Cycle News, the Road Transport Awards, the Motor Trader Awards, British Insurance Awards, British Transport Awards, OAG Airline of the Year Awards, Security Awards, British Hairdressing Business Awards, Building Industry and Electrical Industry, the Bathroom and Kitchen awards, EFTA Print Awards, NatWest, Adidas, British Telecom, Cellnet, Flymo, Wells Water, Alliance Mutual, Reliance Mutual, and Vauxhall.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book sports presenter and event host Steve Rider for your corporate event.

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