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Tom Brook
Tom Brook
Tom Brook
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Tom Brook (born 16 June 1953) is a British journalist who is based in New York and works primarily for BBC News. He is mainly seen on BBC World News, and also the BBC News Channel.[1] He is the main presenter of its flagship cinema programme Talking Movies, and has presented every episode since it was first broadcast in February 1999. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association.[2]

Key Information

Early life

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Brook was born in Ladbroke Grove in London, but went to primary school in Hertfordshire.[citation needed] He completed his secondary education at William Ellis School in north London before going on to Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1975.[citation needed] Brook's parents were Caspar Brook, the first director of the Consumers’ Association in Britain, and Dinah, a former education correspondent of The Observer.[citation needed]

Broadcasting career

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Brook joined the BBC in April 1976 as a news trainee and, after working attachments in Belfast, Birmingham, and Manchester, he was appointed as a producer on Radio 4's Today programme in 1978. In January 1980, he was posted to the BBC's office in New York as a news and current affairs producer. On the night of 8 December 1980, he was the first British journalist to report live from outside the home of John Lennon in the Dakota Apartment building on New York's Upper West Side, following the murder of the former the former Beatle.[3]

Since 1985, he has reported on the US film industry for the BBC. From 1985 to 1998, Brook was BBC One's US correspondent for the top-rated Film series presented by Barry Norman.[4] In 1999, he began presenting and producing the cinema news programme Talking Movies for the BBC, which, as of 2020 has surpassed 500 episodes. He has an international following among movie fans and key figures in the global film industry.

The programme covers cinema news from around the world, as well as delivering reviews of the latest films and exclusive interviews with top Hollywood and international talent. The longevity of the series has also allowed Brook to report from some of the world's top film festivals, including Cannes,[5] Sundance,[6] Toronto[7] and London.[8]

In 2019[9] the programme marked a significant milestone with its twentieth anniversary on the air. Special anniversary editions of the show were recorded in front of a live audience in New York and Mumbai in which Sir Kenneth Branagh[10] and Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan[11] were guests of honour.

He has also covered the Academy Awards for BBC News every year since 1985, frequently reporting live from the red carpet.[12]

Brook has interviewed some of the most celebrated names in international cinema including such Twentieth Century greats as James Cagney[13] and Bette Davis.[14] He has also interviewed some of America's most influential personalities from CBS veteran anchorman Walter Cronkite on his last day of presenting at the network as well as former President's Carter and Ford. More recently, some of the big names he has interviewed include Adam Driver,[15] Cynthia Erivo,[16] Dev Patel,[17] Renee Zellweger[18] and Barry Jenkins,[19]

Over the years, Brook has also contributed to numerous additional BBC programmes and outlets, including Breakfast, Correspondent, Front Row, The Late Show, The Six O'Clock News, BBC America, BBC News Channel, Hard Talk Extra, and Today on BBC Radio 4.

He has been a frequent online contributor. In 2013 he started writing The Reel World column for BBC Culture on new developments on the big screen.[20]

Personal life

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Brook holds both UK and US passports. He has lived in New York for more than four decades. His home is on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He is married to Samuel Wahl MD, chair, Department of Pathology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who has been his partner since January 1990.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Tom Brook

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
''Tom Brook'' is a British journalist and broadcaster known for his long-term coverage of the film industry for BBC News. Based in New York since the early 1980s, he has reported on film and the movie industry since 1985 and has presented the flagship cinema programme Talking Movies on BBC World News since its launch in 1999. Brook regularly contributes articles and columns to BBC Culture, including his recurring The Reel World column, and provides in-depth reporting and analysis on major film festivals, industry developments, and awards ceremonies. He has covered the Academy Awards for the BBC every year since 1985, often reporting live from the red carpet, and his work extends to interviews with prominent filmmakers and actors as well as commentary on global cinema trends. Early in his career, Brook gained attention as the first British journalist to report live from outside the Dakota building following the murder of John Lennon in New York on 8 December 1980. His consistent presence in international film journalism has established him as a prominent voice on BBC platforms for over four decades.

Early life and education

Family background and early years

Tom Brook was born on 16 June 1953 in London, United Kingdom. His father was Caspar Brook, who served as the first director of the Consumers’ Association in Britain and later directed the Family Planning Association and the David Owen Centre for Population Growth Studies at University College Cardiff. His mother was Dinah Brook (née Fine), a former education correspondent for The Observer. Brook grew up in the United Kingdom with these family influences in consumer rights and journalism shaping his early background.

University education

Tom Brook attended the University of Cambridge, where he studied economics and received a BA in Economics. This marked the completion of his university education prior to entering journalism.

BBC career

Training and early roles

Tom Brook studied at Cambridge University, where he received a BA in Economics. He joined the BBC in 1976 as a news trainee. During his trainee period, he worked in regional newsrooms in Birmingham, Manchester, and Belfast—the latter for an extended time amid the sectarian troubles in Northern Ireland—gaining foundational skills in broadcast journalism across radio and television. In 1978, he took on his first official BBC role as a producer on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

New York assignment and major early reporting

In January 1980, Tom Brook was posted to the BBC's New York office as a news and current affairs producer and later transitioned to a reporter role. His major early reporting opportunity came on 8 December 1980, when he became the first British journalist to report live from outside the Dakota apartment building following the murder of John Lennon. Newly arrived in New York from London and in his mid-20s, Brook was a huge Lennon fan and received a late-night phone call alerting him to reports of a shooting at the Dakota, prompting him to rush to the scene with a tape recorder, microphone, and notepad. With the regular New York correspondent out of town, Brook was the first BBC reporter on site and used a nearby public phone booth to file live updates for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, speaking with presenter Brian Redhead in London and recording reactions from the growing crowd of grieving fans who gathered throughout the night holding candles and singing Lennon's songs. He described the atmosphere as highly emotional, with fans hysterical and one young woman telling him she felt "like I’ve just been punched in the stomach," a sentiment that captured the widespread shock. Despite being personally affected and struggling to hold back emotion on air—particularly when announcing "and now he's dead"—Brook continued providing bulletins as facts evolved, using makeshift methods like attaching clips to a telephone mouthpiece to transmit audio. This coverage, delivered by a young and relatively inexperienced journalist, marked a pivotal moment that brought him to the attention of BBC editors in London and led to further work.

Film and entertainment correspondence

Tom Brook served as the US correspondent for the BBC's flagship cinema programme on BBC One, presented by Barry Norman, from 1985 to 1998. In this role, he delivered regular reports from New York on film industry news, developments, and events for the programme, which was the leading cinema show on UK television during that era. This position represented his shift to specialized film and entertainment correspondence after initial general current affairs reporting in the BBC's New York bureau. As part of his film journalism, Brook established a long-running practice of covering the Academy Awards, attending nearly all Oscar ceremonies since the mid-1980s and routinely reporting live from the red carpet for major BBC news programmes. His on-site presence at the Oscars allowed for timely dispatches and interviews that contributed to the BBC's comprehensive awards coverage. Brook also regularly attended and reported from prominent international film festivals, including Cannes and Toronto, as part of his ongoing responsibilities in entertainment correspondence. This work solidified his position as a key voice on cinema for BBC audiences during the period.

Talking Movies

Programme launch and ongoing role

Tom Brook launched Talking Movies on BBC World News in February 1999, serving as the programme's presenter and producer from its inception. He has presented every episode since the first broadcast, establishing a continuous on-air presence that distinguishes his role in BBC film journalism. The programme delivers comprehensive coverage of global cinema, encompassing news, reviews, exclusive interviews, and regular reporting from major international film festivals. To mark the show's 20th anniversary in 2019, Talking Movies aired special editions filmed in New York and Mumbai. The Mumbai special focused on the evolution of Bollywood, including the rise of independent cinema and the impact of the #MeToo movement, featuring conversations with prominent stars and directors. These anniversary programmes included notable guests such as Kenneth Branagh and Shah Rukh Khan, highlighting Brook's access to leading figures in world cinema. By 2020, Talking Movies had surpassed 500 episodes under Brook's stewardship, reflecting the programme's enduring significance on BBC World News and his steadfast commitment to objective, truth-seeking coverage of the film industry. His ongoing role continues to position the show as a reliable source for international audiences seeking in-depth film reporting.

Coverage style and notable content

Tom Brook's Talking Movies is renowned for its substantive, in-depth coverage of global cinema, emphasizing thoughtful interviews with major actors and directors rather than superficial entertainment news. The programme explores the world of film through substantive reports that highlight international perspectives and serious film journalism. Brook has interviewed most of the top contemporary actors and directors in cinema, along with many late Hollywood greats. Notable interviewees have included Adam Driver, Cynthia Erivo, Dev Patel, Renée Zellweger, Barry Jenkins, Kenneth Branagh, and Shah Rukh Khan. Special editions have featured exclusive interviews, such as multiple sessions with Shah Rukh Khan, including a high-profile discussion in Mumbai for the programme's 20th anniversary. Another dedicated special focused on Kenneth Branagh. A standout programme moment was the special edition on modern Indian cinema, filmed in India to examine the new wave of independent films as an antidote to Bollywood. Brook has described this as one of his best experiences on Talking Movies, calling it inspiring due to the wealth of young talent and the widespread enthusiasm for cinema encountered there.

Writing and additional contributions

BBC Culture column

Tom Brook has written the "The Reel World" column for BBC Culture since the site's launch in 2013. The column examines trends in film and the movie industry, offering analysis of contemporary cinema issues. His articles address a variety of topics, including Oscar predictions, diversity and representation in Hollywood, the future of cinema, director interviews, and broader cultural implications of filmmaking. For example, he has explored Martin Scorsese's concerns about the future of cinema, Shah Rukh Khan's views on Bollywood's direction, Hollywood's additional diversity challenges beyond well-known discussions, and the practice of white actors portraying characters of other races. Brook has also written on potential award outcomes, such as whether specific performers could secure Oscar wins. These written contributions draw on his longstanding expertise in film journalism and complement his broadcast reporting on the industry.

Other BBC outlets and roles

Tom Brook has contributed to a variety of other BBC outlets and taken on additional roles throughout his career. He served as Executive Producer of Ekran, BBC Persian's cinema review programme, which launched in 2009. In addition to his primary presenting work, he has worked as an entertainment industry reporter for a wide range of BBC news outlets across television, radio, and online, including the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 and BBC America. His contributions extend to other programmes such as Breakfast, Correspondent, Front Row, The Late Show, The Six O'Clock News, and Hard Talk Extra. For more than three decades, Brook has also provided regular live reports from the Oscar red carpet for major BBC news programmes.

Personal life

Affiliations

Tom Brook was a member of the Critics' Choice Association (CCA) as of 2022. The CCA is a professional organization consisting of broadcast, radio, online critics, and entertainment journalists who review films, documentaries, and scripted and unscripted television. It is currently the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, with more than 600 members.
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