Richard Dimbleby
British journalist, broadcaster and war correspondent (1913-1965)
Frederick Richard Dimbleby (25 May 1913 – 22 December 1965) was an English journalist and broadcaster who became the BBC's first war correspondent and then its leading TV news commentator.
As host of the long-running current affairs programme Panorama, he pioneered a popular style of interviewing that was respectful but searching. At formal public events, he could combine gravitas with creative insights based on extensive research. He was also able to maintain interest throughout the all-night election specials.
The annual Richard Dimbleby Lecture was founded in his memory.
Biography
Early life and education
Dimbleby was born near Richmond, Surrey, the son of Gwendoline Mabel (Bolwell) and Frederick Jabez George Dimbleby (d. 1943), a journalist.
He was educated at Glengorse Preparatory School in Eastbourne, then at The Mall School in Twickenham, and finally at Mill Hill School. He began his career in 1931 on the Richmond and Twickenham Times, which his grandfather, Frederick William Dimbleby, had acquired in 1894. Dimbleby's father had been press officer for the Ministry of Labour under David Lloyd George and held a position with the Daily Mail on Fleet Street, but had fallen out over interwar views on fascism and instead joined the family firm.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Richard Dimbleby” as british journalist, broadcaster and war correspondent (1913-1965). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as british journalist, broadcaster and war correspondent (1913-1965). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3430720. VIAF identifies the subject as 54118635. The Library of Congress control number is n91063191. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1913, 1965, 1943 and 1931.
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This entry incorporates text from “Richard Dimbleby” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.