Mark Carruthers OBE (born 1965) is a

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. He currently presents a number of television and radio programmes for

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland is one of the four BB ...

Broadcasting work

Carruthers first joined

in 1989 contributing to ''Good Morning Ulster'' and ''PM Ulster'' on BBC Radio Ulster. In addition to having presented BBC Newsline, he has also presented '' Spotlight'' and ''Let's Talk'' for television and ''Evening Extra'' on BBC Radio Ulster.BBCi: BBC Newsline - Meet The Team: Mark Carruthers' profile
/ref> In August 2009, Carruthers became part of the presenting team of ''Good Morning Ulster'' as part of a series of presenter changes at BBC Radio Ulster. He is now the presenter of ''The View'' and ''Sunday Politics'' on BBC One Northern Ireland. He also presents the weekly politics podcast ''Red Lines'' on

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is an Over-the-top media service, over-the-top audio streaming media, streaming and download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, Streaming media, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide ...

. He has been nominated for four

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

awards for his work – in 2022, 2020, 2018 and 2003. In 2005 he and his BBC Newsline co-presenter, Donna Traynor, lifted a prestigious IFTA (Irish Film and Television Award) for Best News Programme.

Personal life

Carruthers was born in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

, grew up in

Limavady Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 11,279 people at the 2021 Census. In the 40 years between 1 ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, studied at

Coleraine Academical Institution Coleraine Academical Institution (CAI and styled locally as Coleraine Inst) was a voluntary grammar school for boys in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Coleraine Academical Institution occupied a site on the Castlerock Road, ...

The Belfast Telegraph: "My passion"
dated 29 December 1998; accessed 9 February 2009 and went on to study for degrees in Political Science and Irish Politics at

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

. Carruthers has an interest in the theatre. He was one of the founders of Tinderbox Theatre Company in 1988 and took part in drama groups at college and university, including a stage appearance in a Riverside Theatre, Coleraine, production of '' Oliver!'' alongside James Nesbitt. He was Chairman of the Lyric Theatre Board until 2015 and was at the forefront of the campaign to rebuild the theatre on its south Belfast site for almost ten years. He was appointed an OBE for services to

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

in the 2011 New Year Honours list. He is co-editor of ''Stepping Stones - The Arts in Ulster 1971-2001'' which was published by Blackstaff Press in 2001. In 2013 ''Alternative Ulsters – Conversations on Identity'' was published by Liberties Press, a series of interviews by Carruthers with leading writers, actors, journalists and politicians. The book was a success and was re-issued in paperback in December 2014. The following year ''Alternative Ulsters'' was shortlisted for the prestigious Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. In July 2019 Carruthers was awarded an honorary doctorate ( Doctor of Literature) from

for distinction in broadcasting. In November 2023 he was awarded a Visiting Professorship in Media at

Ulster University Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

. He is married with three children and lives in south

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

References

External links

BBCi: BBC Newsline - Meet The Team: Mark Carruthers' profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carruthers, Mark 1965 births Alumni of Queen's University Belfast BBC newsreaders and journalists Living people People educated at Coleraine Academical Institution Broadcasters from Derry (city) Radio personalities from Northern Ireland Television presenters from Northern Ireland Officers of the Order of the British Empire