Datshiane Navanayagam | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1987 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | South Hampstead High School |
| Alma mater | Trinity Hall, Cambridge (History) |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, broadcaster |
| Employer(s) | BBC Channel 4 ITV |
| Known for | Presenting on BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, Countryfile, Dispatches, Tonight |
Datshiane Navanayagam (born May 1987) [1] is a British journalist and broadcaster working for a variety of media outlets.
Navanayagam's grandparents were born in Sri Lanka and moved to Malaysia, and her father moved from there to London in the 1950s. [2] Navanayagam had a challenging childhood during which she spent periods of time being homeless. [3] Her father experienced disability during her childhood and at one point, Navanayagam was placed in a single room in a bed-and-breakfast along with three members of her family. [4] Navanayagam attended South Hampstead High School in South Hampstead, London on a bursary. [5] After finishing school, she attended the University of Cambridge from 2005 where she studied history at Trinity Hall. [6]
Navanayagam's broadcasting career began in local radio. She was then awarded a place on the BBC Production Trainee scheme. [7]
In 2013, she reported for Farming Today on BBC Radio 4. [8]
In 2018, Navanayagam made, in collaboration with colleagues, [9] and presented, a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary examining homelessness affecting working adults. The documentary was created based on research carried out by a homelessness charity. Navanayagam had experienced homelessness while being adult prior to making the documentary in collaboration with colleagues. [10] Her work on housing issues also includes a 2019 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary about poor practice by landlords [11] and a 2020 BBC Panorama documentary about a government shared-ownership housing scheme. [12]
As of 2017 and 2018, Navanayagam's on-air work for the BBC was across range of factual programmes. [13] In 2021, she presented several episodes of the Media Show on BBC Radio 4. [14] As of 2022 and 2023, Navanayagam's on-air BBC work remained across a variety of factual programmes. [15] In April 2024, Navanayagam was announced as one of the two new presenters of The Conversation, a programme about women's experiences and issues on the BBC World Service. [16] As of late 2024, Navanayagam was also a presenter of Countryfile on BBC One , a reporter for File on 4 on BBC Radio 4, [17] and a reporter for Tonight on ITV1. [18]
Navanayagam occasionally presents Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4. She continues to co-make and present factual and investigative documentaries for a variety of media outlets. [19]
Navanayagam has sat in for other presenters on BBC Radio 5 Live news programmes; for example, in July 2023, she co-presented Saturday Breakfast [20] and in September 2024 she co-presented Drive. [21]
Navanayagam is the co-presenter of a series of podcasts for BBC Bitesize which focuses on topics within GCSE History. [22]
Navanayagam is a judge for the Trinity Hall Prize in Student Journalism, [23] run by the Cambridge University college which she attended. [24]
Date of birth May 1987