Nicholas David Ross (born 7 August 1947) is an English radio and television presenter. During the 1980s and 1990s he was one of the most ubiquitous of British broadcasters but is best known for hosting the
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
programme ''
Crimewatch
''Crimewatch'' (formerly ''Crimewatch UK'') is a British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was or ...
'', which he left in 2007 after 23 years. He has subsequently filmed a series for
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
called ''
The Truth About Crime'' and has made documentaries for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
. He is chairman, president, trustee or patron of a number of charities including the
National Fire Chiefs Council, and is President of the
British Security Industry Association and
HealthSense.
Early life
He was brought up in
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
. His German Jewish father, Hans Rosenbluth, fled Germany in 1933 soon after the
Nazis
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
came to power. In 1940 Rosenbluth was interned as an ‘
enemy alien
In customary international law, an enemy alien is any alien native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secur ...
‘ and sent from England to Australia on
HMT ''Dunera''. When allowed to return, Rosenbluth changed his name to John Caryl Ross and joined the British Army’s
Pioneer Corps; he became an officer in 1945. His paternal grandfather was
Pinchas Rosen
Pinchas Rosen (; 1 May 1887 – 3 May 1978) was an Israeli statesman, and the country's first Minister of Justice, serving three times during 1948–51, 1952–56, and 1956–61. He was also leader of the Independent Liberals and three times tur ...
(born Felix Rosenblüth), who served three times as justice minister of
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
Ross went to
Wallington County Grammar School
Wallington County Grammar School (WCGS) is a selective state boys' grammar school with a Mixed-sex education, coeducational Sixth form, Sixth Form located in the London Borough of Sutton. From 1968 to the mid-1990s the school was known as Wal ...
and then read
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
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 ...
. He graduated with a BA (Hons), later became a Doctor of the university (honoris causa) and he was deputy president of the
Student Union
A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizatio ...
and a leader of the student civil rights movement in 1968 and 1969. He started in journalism by reporting on the violence in Belfast 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 ...
.
Career
He began working part-time for the BBC in Northern Ireland while still a student and reported on the violence as
the Troubles
The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
became acute. He returned to London and presented British radio programmes such as Radio 4's ''
The World at One
''The World at One'' (or ''WATO'', pronounced "what-oh") is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs radio programme, broadcast weekdays from 13:00 to 13:45 and produced by BBC News. The programme describes itself as "Bri ...
'', ''
PM'' and ''
The World Tonight
''The World Tonight'' is a British current affairs radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4, every weekday evening, which started out as an extension of the 10 pm news. It is produced by BBC News and features news, analysis and comment on dome ...
'', and moved to TV in 1979 as a reporter for ''
Man Alive'' on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
. He made several documentaries in a brief stint as a director and producer. "The Biggest Epidemic of Our Times" was a polemic on road accidents which was made for ''Man Alive'' but transferred to BBC1. It was later described as a broadcast that "would transform road safety," and according to another commentator, by reframing the whole concept of road safety Ross's campaigning changed public attitudes and public policy to such an extent that, "in significant consequence British mortality rates of people under 50 are among the lowest in the world." Ross also produced and directed two programmes on drug addiction, ''The Fix'' and ''The Cure'', which followed an addict called Gina. He presented a law series ''Out of Court'' in this period as well as large-scale studio debates.
He was on the presenting team of a short-lived early-evening news programme ''
Sixty Minutes'' which began in 1983, and was intended as a replacement for ''
Nationwide'', but proved an unwieldy format. In the same period he was a founder presenter of the BBC's ''
Breakfast Time'' on
BBC 1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
, the first regular such programme in this timeslot, from its launch in early 1983, with
Frank Bough
Francis Joseph Bough (; 15 January 1933 – 21 October 2020) was an English television presenter. He was best known as the host of BBC sports and current affairs shows including '' Grandstand'', '' Nationwide'' and '' Breakfast Time'', which he l ...
and
Selina Scott, as well as launching ''
Watchdog
Watchdog or watch dog may refer to:
Animals
*Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence
* Portuguese Watchdog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed
* Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet U ...
'' as a prime time stand-alone consumer series.

''
Crimewatch
''Crimewatch'' (formerly ''Crimewatch UK'') is a British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was or ...
'' (based on a German prototype) began in 1984, and made him a household name in the UK and his regular
sign-off
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...
, "Don't have nightmares, do sleep well", became a well-known catch-phrase. In 1989 he was asked to present BBC Radio 4's Tuesday morning phone-in, the name of which was changed from ''Tuesday Call'' to ''
Call Nick Ross''. He resigned in 1997, but received an award as best radio presenter of the year. During the 1991 Gulf War he was a volunteer presenter on the BBC
Radio 4 News FM
Radio 4 News FM was the national BBC station devoted to rolling news service that was on air during the Gulf War from 16 January until 2 March 1991. It was broadcast on Radio 4's FM frequencies, whilst regular scheduled service continued on l ...
service.
He presented ''A Week in Politics'' on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, then moved to cover BBC Two's live broadcasts of parliament in ''
Westminster with Nick Ross''. At one stage in the 1990s he was often doing three mainstream live programmes a day such as ''Call Nick Ross'', ''Westminster with Nick Ross'' and ''Crimewatch''. He was used in a variety of BBC formats including chat shows, travel programmes and debates, but was most at home in live studios, often orchestrating debates.
His ''Crimewatch'' co-presenter,
Jill Dando
Jill Wendy Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She spent most of her career at the BBC and was the corporation's Personality of the Year in 1997. At the time of her death, he ...
, was murdered in 1999 and Ross started a campaign to commemorate her, culminating in the establishment of the
Jill Dando Institute of
Crime Science at
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
.
In 2000 Ross presented a general knowledge quiz called ''
The Syndicate'', aired on BBC 1 which pitted two teams across three rounds on general knowledge.
In late 2007, Ross left ''Crimewatch'', soon followed by his co-presenter
Fiona Bruce
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for their current affairs programme ''Panorama'' in 1989, and became the first female newsreader on ' ...
. The replacement presenter,
Kirsty Young, was 21 years younger than Ross and the BBC were accused of
ageism
Ageism, also called agism in American English, is a type of discrimination based on one's age, generally used to refer to age-based discrimination against Old age, elderly people. The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe this ...
over these changes. His 23 years as the main ''Crimewatch'' anchor marks him as one of the longest-serving presenters of a continuous series in TV history.
He spent a year creating a major BBC One series ''
The Truth About Crime'', which aired in mid-2009 and explained the fall in crime rates and how offending can be reduced further. The show was described by ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' as an "outstanding... sane, insightful and compellingly argued documentary series."
He has since been making other TV shows, such as ''Secrets of the Crime Museum'' and science programmes for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
including an acclaimed re-examination of the Chernobyl disaster ''Fallout: the Legacy of Chernobyl''. His written journalism has included a re-examination of the
Air France Flight 447
Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France. On 1 June 2009, inconsistent airspeed indications and mi ...
air crash that provoked controversy on both sides of the Atlantic.
He made a guest appearance on ''
Are You Being Served?
''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...
'', playing himself in the last episode
"The Pop Star", broadcast in April 1985, and has appeared on other shows, including ''
Have I Got News for You
''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990.
The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...
''.
Ross was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE) in the
2021 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...
for services to broadcasting, charity and crime prevention.
Activities away from broadcasting
Away from broadcasting Ross has a wide range of philanthropic involvements, centred on medical ethics as well as promoting science and evidence-led health-care. He has also played a leading role in social action campaigns, most notably
crime prevention
Crime prevention refers to strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of crime occurring by intervening before a crime has been committed. It encompasses many approaches, including developmental, situational, community-based and crimin ...
,
road safety
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...
and
fire safety
Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent wikt:ignition, the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread a ...
.
Ross coined the term
Crime Science to promote a practical, multidisciplinary and outcome-focused approach to crime reduction (as distinct from what he claimed was often theory-driven criminology). The
Jill Dando Institute which he inspired has grown to have a substantial role in
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
, spawning a new Department of Security and Crime Science and other offshoots including a Forensic Science unit and a secure data lab. Ross is chairman of the board of the institute, a visiting professor, and an Honorary Fellow of University College London, as well as an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminologists. His crime science concept has since been adopted in universities elsewhere, including New York, Cincinnati and Texas, with formal crime science courses at Loughborough in the UK and at Twente University in the Netherlands. The British Ministry of Defence
DSTL has a fast-growing crime science unit and there have been plans to create a crime science department at the
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
.
Ross has written several books including ''Crime, how to solve it and why so much of what we're told is wrong'', and is President of the British Security Industries Association.
He has served on several government committees (including the Committee on the Ethics of Gene Therapy, the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee, the NHS National Plan Task Force, the National Crime Prevention Board and the Crime Prevention Agency Board). He was a member of the
Nuffield Council on Bioethics 1999–2005 and a member of the council's Working Party on ''Ethics of research involving animals'' (2003–2005).
Ross contributed the foreword to
Edzard Ernst
Edzard Ernst (born 30 January 1948) is a retired British-German academic physician and researcher specializing in the study of complementary and alternative medicine. He was Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, the wo ...
's 2013 book on
complementary and alternative medicine
Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ar ...
, ''Healing, Hype or Harm?: A Critical Analysis of Complementary or Alternative Medicine''.
Ross described himself as a 'sceptic' but 'not a cynic' and that 'pseudomedicine should be exposed for what it is'.
Ross campaigned against
Lord Maurice Saatchi's
Medical Innovation Bill.
Ross spoke against the bill in a 2015 debate hosted by
HealthWatch, saying that "Uncoordinated trial and error on individual patients will never cure cancer and even if it did we would never know because these aren't controlled conditions...There is a long roll call of dishonour where lack of systematic science did harm".
Ross is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
, and of the Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...
, a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton.
History
The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...
and a non-executive director of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He has been a member of the Committee on Public Understanding of Science, chairman of the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books
The Royal Society Science Book Prize is an annual £25,000 prize awarded by the Royal Society to celebrate outstanding popular science books from around the world. It is open to authors of science books written for a non-specialist audience, and ...
(twice), Guest Director of the Cheltenham Science Festival, chairman of the National Road Safety Committee of RoSPA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is a British charity that aims to save lives and prevent life-changing injuries which occur as a result of accidents. In the past, it has successfully campaigned on issues of road safet ...
and President of the London Road Safety Council, and an affiliate of the James Lind Alliance
The James Lind Alliance is a UK-based non-profit making initiative, established in 2004. It was established to bring patients, carers and clinicians together, in Priority Setting Partnerships, to identify and prioritise unanswered questions or ev ...
. He is Chairman of the Wales Cancer Bank Advisory Board, a member of the ethics committee of UK Biobank
UK Biobank is a long-term prospective biobank study in the United Kingdom (UK) that houses the de-identified biological samples and health-related data of half a million people. The volunteer participants aged 40-69 were recruited between 2006 ...
, president of several charities including HealthSense (formerly HealthWatch), and a Trustee of Crimestoppers and of the UK Stem Cell Foundation. He served on the board of Sense about Science
Sense about Science is a United Kingdom charitable organization that promotes the public understanding of science. Sense about Science was founded in 2002 by Lord Taverne, Bridget Ogilvie and others to promote respect for scientific evidence an ...
from 2008 to 2023, was an adviser to Crime Concern and Victim Support
Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime.
Activities
;Support for victims of crime: Trained volunteers and employees offer free, inde ...
, and served two terms as an Ambassador for the World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...
(WWF) 2004–11.
He was president of the Kensington Society 2011-2023 and a patron of Prisoners Abroad (a registered charity which supports Britons detained overseas), and a range of other charities including the Animal Care Trust, British Wireless for the Blind Fund, Heartbeat, the Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill, the Kidney Research Aid Fund, the Myasthenia Gravis Association, the National Depression Campaign, Missing, NICHS, the Raynaud's & Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas ...
Association, Resources for Autism
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
, SaneLine, the Simon Community Northern Ireland, and Young at Heart.
He has campaigned for sprinklers in social housing, chaired fire sector summits, lobbied ministers and was a critic of 'complacency' that led to mass fatalities in the Lakanal House and Grenfell Tower fire
On 14 June 2017, a List of fires in high-rise buildings, high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of Public housing in the United Kingdom, flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 British Summer Time, BST ...
s in London. In 2023 he was appointed chair of trustees of the National Fire Chiefs Council.
In 2003 he was tipped by ''The Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'' newspaper as a candidate for Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current ...
, and his name was mentioned again for the 2008 election. Although he did not stand, he wrote a manifesto for London's evening paper and chaired one of the key public debates. In 2011 he was mentioned as a possible police and crime commissioner
A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...
.
In 2012 it was reported that he had sold his home in Notting Hill
Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...
, West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...
"for almost 40 times the price he paid for it" in 1993. The buyer of the house was Khalid Saïd, son of businessman Wafic Saïd
Wafic Rida Saïd () (born 21 December 1939) is a Syrian-Saudi-Canadian businessman, financier, and philanthropist who has resided for many years in Monaco.David Pallister, 'The man of substance in the shadows', ''The Guardian'', London, 22 May ...
.
"Crimewatch Nick Ross presenter 'sells house for 40 times what he paid for it'" at telegraph.co.uk.
Ross works as a chairman and moderator for corporate and government meetings. His wife
Sarah Caplin, co-founder of
ChildLine, was Deputy Secretary of the BBC and also a senior executive with
ITV, the British commercial television broadcaster. The couple have three sons: Adam, Sam and Jack.
Filmography
Bibliography
*''Crimewatch UK'' (with
Sue Cook,
, 1987)
*''Crime: How To Solve It, and Why So Much of What We're Told Is Wrong'' (
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
, 2013)
By others
*
Edzard Ernst
Edzard Ernst (born 30 January 1948) is a retired British-German academic physician and researcher specializing in the study of complementary and alternative medicine. He was Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, the wo ...
: ''Healing, Hype or Harm?: A Critical Analysis of Complementary or Alternative Medicine'' (foreword by Nick Ross, Societas, 2008)
*
Hugh Miller
Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a Scottish geologist, writer and folklorist.
Life and work
Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright (''bap''. 1780, ''d''. 1863) and Hugh Miller ...
: ''Crimewatch Solved: The Inside Story'' (foreword by Nick Ross, Boxtree, 2001)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Nick
1947 births
Living people
Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
BBC Radio 4 presenters
BBC radio presenters
BBC television presenters
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Criminology in the United Kingdom
English health activists
English non-fiction writers
English people of German-Jewish descent
English political journalists
English television presenters
People educated at Wallington County Grammar School
People from Hampstead
People from Kensington