Anthony Clive Morris (30 September 1962 – 1 August 2020) was an English newsreader for '' Granada Reports'', produced by

ITV Granada ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

. He previously worked as a reporter and bulletin presenter for '' BBC North West Tonight'' and for a brief period was a reporter for the BBC national news.

Biography

Early life

Morris was born and brought up in the city of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, but later moved to

St Helens, Merseyside St Helens () is a town in Merseyside, England, with a population of 117,308. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens which had a population of 183,200 at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 Census. The town i ...

Education

Morris was educated at St. Luke's Church of England School, now known as the Ark Charter Academy, in the

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea began as a f ...

area of Portsmouth.

Career

Prior to being a television journalist and news presenter, Morris worked as a DJ and served in the RAF.

BBC

''North West Tonight''

Morris joined '' BBC North West Tonight'' initially as a reporter for the flagship programme based in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, later going on to present shorter bulletins, usually weekend bulletins and the regional bulletin following the '' BBC News at Ten''. For a brief period in his latter years with the BBC, he worked as a reporter for the national news, being based in London.

''The Really Useful Show''

Morris also co-hosted BBC Birmingham's morning programme ''The Really Useful Show'', in 1997.

ITV

''Granada Reports''

In 2003, Morris joined ITV Granada as the new male co-anchor alongside Lucy Meacock for '' Granada Reports''. This came following the departures of

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder ...

and So Rahman. More recently, he had alternate lunchtime and late bulletins added to his role. He celebrated 10 years on ''Granada Reports'' in September 2013. The programme became the first regional news programme ever to win a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

''ITV Weekend News''

In 2007, Morris stood-in on the '' ITV Weekend News'', which followed ''Granada Reports''.

Personal life and death

Morris had two adult daughters. He died at Bury Hospice on 1 August 2020, aged 57. He had been diagnosed with

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...

in 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Tony 1962 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel ITV regional newsreaders and journalists BBC North West newsreaders and journalists Mass media people from Portsmouth English people of Grenadian descent Black British television personalities Deaths from kidney cancer in England