Nicola Beckford is a familiar face to Breakfast TV viewers in the West Country, having presented the news on BBC One for Points West.
A versatile BBC presenter and journalist, she has a warm and confident style with many years experience in broadcasting.
Nicola is a specialist in the Freedom of Information Act and currently works for BBC News in London. She has an in depth knowledge of the workings of the regional and national newsrooms and how stories make it to air on TV and radio.
Nicola has been responsible for some of the BBC's most exciting Freedom of Information stories. She discovered how English hospitals were making millions from car parking charges. This story led the network Six and Ten O’clock TV News as well as the national press. It sparked a nationwide debate on the fairness of car parking charges by hospitals.
Nicola worked as a secondary school teacher of modern languages and information technology and loved working with young people. After several years in the classroom, she changed career path to become a journalist. She worked as a producer on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and as a reporter on the Donal MacIntyre programme on Radio 5 Live. She also reported on Radio 4’s Today programme, the BBC News Channel and BBC Breakfast television.
Nicola is a highly sought after conference speaker in the UK and abroad. She has delivered speeches for the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Scottish Parliament and the Health and Safety Executive. She was also invited to Chile by the British Council to address an audience of government officials on the subject of BBC journalism.
Nicola is available for speaking engagements, hosting events and moderating panel discussions.