Neil Oliver

Last updated

Neil Oliver
Neil Oliver at Windsor Quay (cropped).jpg
Oliver in 2006
Born (1967-02-21) 21 February 1967 (age 57)
Renfrew, Scotland [1]
CitizenshipBritish
Occupation(s)Television presenter, author, historian
Years active2002 –present
Children3
Website neiloliver.com

Neil Oliver (born 21 February 1967)[ citation needed ] is a Scottish television presenter and author. He has presented several documentary series on archaeology and history, including A History of Scotland , Vikings and Coast . He is also an author of popular history books and historical fiction.

Contents

He was the president of the National Trust for Scotland from 2017 to 2020. [2] [3]

Since 2021 Oliver has been a presenter for UK News channel GB News.

Early life and education

Oliver was born in Renfrew [4] [5] and raised in Ayr and Dumfries, where he attended Dumfries Academy and then the University of Glasgow. He obtained an MA (Hons) in archaeology and then worked as a freelance archaeologist before training as a journalist. [6]

Television career

Oliver first appeared on television in the 2002 BBC Two series Two Men in a Trench , in which he and archaeologist Tony Pollard visited historic British battlefields. He was also a co-author of the two books accompanying the series. In 2006 he presented The Face of Britain for Channel 4 and Scotland's History: The Top Ten for the BBC. Early in his career he also appeared on The One Show and Time Team .

Oliver was a co-presenter of the first series of Coast in 2005 and replaced Nicholas Crane as the show's main presenter for the second, third, fourth and fifth series. He also presented Coast Australia (2013) and Coast New Zealand (2016).

From 2006 to 2018 Oliver presented a number of history documentaries for the BBC, including A History of Scotland (2008) and Sacred Wonders of Britain (2013). In 2012 he wrote and presented Vikings , a three-part series on the Vikings.

In April 2021 Oliver was announced as a presenter for GB News. He hosts a weekly current affairs and interview programme on the channel. [4]

Journalism

Oliver wrote a weekly column for The Sunday Times from 2016 until 2022. [7]

Politics

In 2014 Oliver stated that he was "proud of Britain" ahead of the Scottish independence referendum, saying that "this kind of internecine squabbling puts my teeth on edge. I would rather that it would just go away—or that it had never happened" and that he "liked the status quo". [8] When he was appointed President of the National Trust for Scotland, thousands signed petitions calling on him to resign. [9] In 2020, Oliver reasserted his opposition to Scottish independence, describing the uncertainty caused by the prospect of a second referendum as a "cancerous presence" and saying that "I'm a British citizen, that's how I see myself. Not in an argumentative way, I don't see that I should have to cede my right to understand myself as I am to some politician." [10]

Commenting on the British government's response to the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, Oliver said, "Lockdown is the biggest single mistake in world history". [11] He also criticised the drive to vaccinate children in the UK against COVID-19, [12] and likened the fight against government anti-COVID measures to the fight against Nazi Germany. [13]

Oliver's opposition to coronavirus restrictions led to his leaving the unionist campaign group These Islands. Tom Holland, an advisory board member of These Islands, said that Oliver's "current focus was not compatible with our own". [14]

During a monologue delivered on his GB News programme on 4 February 2023, Oliver spoke of a "silent war" waged by generations of politicians in order to take "total control of the people" and impose "one-world government". According to The Guardian, the monologue apparently referred to Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, an alleged conspiracy theory document. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism both issued statements calling on GB News to stop indulging antisemitic conspiracy theories. [15] [16]

In May 2023 Oliver retweeted an image featuring Bill Gates, writing "Bill Gates: the text book example of the danger posed by rich and powerful people utterly devoid of empathy or care for individual human life". According to The Jewish Chronicle , "The image features Nazi, Satanic, and Illuminati imagery with reference to the New World Order – a conspiracy involving a shadow totalitarian world government – Jeffrey Epstein, Dr Anthony Fauci – former chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden – the United Nations, and big pharma". Broadcaster Matthew Sweet commented that the image appeared "to make mockery of the Holocaust by depicting Bill Gates as a Nazi experimenter with a swastika and IG Farben logo, which is presumably a reference to slave labour in Auschwitz". [17]

In July 2023 Oliver claimed on GB News that the "terrifying" temperatures reported during the heatwave in southern Europe were false and accused the BBC and others of fearmongering over climate change. He alleged that ground temperatures instead of air temperatures were being used. BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker answered the claims saying this was "absolutely not true". [18]

In January 2024, Oliver claimed on GB News that the coronavirus vaccine caused a condition called "turbo-cancer" in children. [19]

Personal life

Oliver lives in Stirling with his wife, [3] three children and two Irish Wolfhounds. [20] [21] He was formerly (in 2019) listed as a patron of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers. [22]

In July 2015 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Glasgow, [23] having previously received the same degree in November 2011 from the University of Abertay Dundee. [24] [25]

Works

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRefs
2002–2004 Two Men in a Trench Presenter
2005–2010 Coast Lead presenter, series 2–5
2006The Face of Britain
Time Team Episode: "Big Royal Dig"
2007 The One Show
The History Detectives
2008 A History of Scotland   [26] Presenter
2009Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer
2011A History of Ancient Britain  [27]
A History of Celtic Britain
The Last ExplorersDocumentary series
2012 Vikings Writer /Presenter
2013 Sacred Wonders of Britain Presenter
2013–2015 Coast Australia
2015Britain's Deadliest Rail Disaster: QuintinshillDocumentary
The Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice  [28]
2016 Coast New Zealand
Scotland and the Clan
Robot Wars  [29] Contestant
2017Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of OrkneyPresenter
2018Rise of the Clans   [30]

Books

Related Research Articles

<i>BBC Newsnight</i> BBC Television current affairs programme

BBC Newsnight is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30 on BBC Two and the UK feed of BBC News channel; it is also available on BBC iPlayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Neil</span> Scottish journalist and broadcaster (born 1949)

Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of The Spectator. He was editor of The Sunday Times from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abertay University</span> University in Scotland, United Kingdom

Abertay University, formerly the University of Abertay Dundee, is a public university in the city of Dundee, Scotland. In 1872, Sir David Baxter, 1st Baronet of Kilmaron, left a bequest for the establishment of a mechanics' institute in Dundee and the Dundee Institute of Technology was formed in 1888. As early as 1902 it was recognised by the Scottish Education Department as an educational hub, and was one of the first to be designated a central institution, akin to an "industrial university". Abertay gained university status in 1994.

John Ross Beattie is a Scottish broadcaster and former rugby union player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alastair Stewart</span> English former journalist and newscaster

Alastair James Stewart OBE is an English journalist and newscaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eamonn Holmes</span> Northern Irish television presenter

Eamonn Holmes is a Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist. He co-presented the breakfast television show GMTV (1993–2005) for ITV, before presenting Sunrise (2005–2016) for Sky News. Holmes co-presented ITV's This Morning (2006–2021) with his wife Ruth Holmes on Fridays and during the school holidays. In January 2022, he joined GB News to present its breakfast programme alongside Isabel Webster. He has also presented How the Other Half Lives (2015–2019) and It's Not Me, It's You (2016) for Channel 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bev Turner</span> British television and radio presenter (born 1973)

Beverley Turner is an English television and radio presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Brazier</span> British journalist and news presenter

Colin Brazier is an English journalist, having previously worked for GB News between 2021 and 2022, and Sky News between 1997 and 2021. He presented Sky News Today on the channel alongside Jayne Secker from September 2014, alongside other programmes on the channel. Between 2005 and 2011, Brazier presented Saturday Live on the channel. In September 2022, in a shakeup of the GB News schedule, it was announced that his show, Brazier, was to be replaced and Brazier himself was to leave the channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caird Hall</span> Concert hall in Dundee, United Kingdom

Caird Hall is a concert auditorium located in Dundee, Scotland. It is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Dolan</span> English comedian, writer, and presenter

Mark Dolan is an English presenter, writer and comedian. He hosts Mark Dolan Tonight and Friday Night Live on GB News. He was the host of the Channel 4 game show Balls of Steel from 2005 until 2008.

Tony Pollard is an archaeologist specialising in the archaeology of conflict. He is Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, where is based in the Scottish Centre for War Studies and Conflict Archaeology. He academic lead and an archaeological co-director of the charity Waterloo Uncovered. He was the co-presenter of the BBC series Two Men in a Trench, co-founder of the Journal of Conflict Archaeology, and guest expert on Time Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Nicolson</span> Scottish SNP politician and journalist

John MacKenzie Nicolson is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician.

Daniel John William Wootton is a New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster.

Anthony Roiall Banks is a British businessman, author and Falklands veteran. He is the chairman and founder of the award-winning Balhousie Care Group, Scotland’s largest private residential care home provider. He is chairman of Business for Scotland and is a vocal supporter of Scottish Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Butchart</span> British runner

Andrew Butchart is a British runner who competed in the 5000 metres event at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the current Scottish record holder in the 3000, 5000 and 10,000 metre events. In June 2023, he broke the parkrun “world-record”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GB News</span> British television news channel

GB News is a British free-to-air opinion-orientated news television and radio channel. The channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus and YouTube. An audio simulcast of the station is also available on DAB+ radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Robinson</span> British political commentator (born 1985)

Calvin John Robinson is a British Old Catholic cleric, conservative political commentator, writer and broadcaster. Since 2023, he has been a priest in the Nordic Catholic Church, an Old Catholic denomination of high church Lutheran patrimony; from 2022 until his priestly ordination, he had been a deacon in the Free Church of England, a conservative Anglican realignment denomination.

Nana Akua Amoatemaa-Appiah is a British television presenter, currently working for GB News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TalkTV (British TV channel)</span> British television channel

TalkTV is a British free-to-air opinion-oriented television and radio channel owned and operated by News UK. The channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media and via the internet on YouTube. It launched on 25 April 2022.

This is a timeline of the history of GB News, a free-to-air television and radio news channel in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ "Neil Oliver on history, housewives and hair". The Herald. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011.
  2. ↑ "TV historian takes on conservation role". BBC News. 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 Bradley, Jane (6 July 2020). "Neil Oliver to step down from National Trust for Scotland role days after Twitter row". The Scotsman. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Neil Oliver to join GB News: 'It feels like opening a window and letting in some fresh air'". HeraldScotland. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ↑ September 2018, Ayrshire Magazine 11th (11 September 2018). "Neil Oliver".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Passed/failed: An education in the life of Neil Oliver, archaeologist". The Independent. 13 November 2008. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. ↑ Oliver, Neil (7 December 2023). "Neil Oliver: For auld lang syne, my old columns shall not be forgot". The Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Neil Oliver on the search for the site of the Battle of Bannockburn". HeraldScotland. 17 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Video: Hundreds back call to remove "divisive" Unionist TV star as National Trust for Scotland president". HeraldScotland. 2 October 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "Neil Oliver calls Scottish independence 'a backwards step' that would 'infringe his human rights'". HeraldScotland. 5 December 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  11. ↑ "Neil Oliver: 'Lockdown is the biggest single mistake in world history'". HeraldScotland. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021. I think it's been mishandled from very early on. I think it's the biggest mistake in world history. I'm not suggesting evil or malicious intent. I just think it's a mistake.
  12. ↑ "Covid: Neil Oliver tells GB News viewers giving children vaccine is 'grotesque'". The Herald. 5 July 2021. He claimed: "Never before in medical history has there been a proposal to vaccinate children against a disease that poses them no measurable harm. Added to this is the undeniable fact these vaccines for Covid are experimental, in that no data is available concerning long term effects."
  13. ↑ "Anger as Scots broadcaster Neil Oliver states he would 'cheerfully risk catching Covid' in name of freedom". HeraldScotland. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021. The Renfrewshire-born 54-year-old who was described as "divisive" by senior SNP members for his well known pro-Union anti-independence said "it was a minority of people, outgunned and shouted down by fellow citizens who felt deals might be struck with tyrants" who stood up against fascism during the Second World War and compared them to the minority of people who refuse to take the jab or comply with Covid rules.
  14. ↑ Nachiappan, Arthi (30 November 2021). "Anti-mask historian Neil Oliver quits pro-UK group". The Times. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Walker, Peter (8 February 2023). "Jewish group and MPs urge GB News to stop indulging conspiracy theories". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  16. ↑ Bloch, Ben (8 February 2023). "MPs and Board of Deputies slam 'antisemitic conspiracy theories' on GBNews". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  17. ↑ Ben-David, Daniel (14 May 2023). "GB News presenter in hot water after reposting Nazi-linked imagery". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  18. ↑ Nicholson, Kate (25 July 2023). "BBC Meteorologist Takes Apart GB News Host's Climate Denial With Facts". www.huffingtonpost.co.uk. Huffpost News. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  19. ↑ Vince, Gaia (11 February 2024). "Climate-crisis deniers sought for exclusive Florida residence. Private ark essential". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  20. ↑ Oliver, Neil (31 May 2023). "Wookiee wolfhounds stop lockdown life being abominable" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  21. ↑ A Life in the Day: Neil Oliver – Times Online [ dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Association of Lighthouse Keepers - Keeping Lighthouse Heritage Alive". Association of Lighthouse Keepers. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of Neil Oliver". www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  24. ↑ Tel: +44 (0)1382 308000 Ask a question (25 September 2009). "2012 | University of Abertay Dundee". Abertay.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ "Neil Oliver". Abertay. 2 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "BBC - Press Office - Celebrating Scotland's History". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  27. ↑ "BBC Two - A History of Ancient Britain, Series 1, Age of Ice". Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  28. ↑ "BBC Two - the Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice with Alice Roberts and Neil Oliver". Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  29. ↑ "Robbie Savage, Suzi Perry and the Brownlee brothers join Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars line-up". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  30. ↑ "A new telling of an old favourite". HeraldScotland. 9 December 2018. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.