Anne MacKenzie

Anne Erica Isobel Mackenzie is a former BBC political and current affairs presenter.

Her mother Katie Ann (née Maclean; 1924–1979), was a midwife, and her father Donald (1924-1996) was a postmaster at his parents' post office in Portnaguran.

Donald MacKenzie also fought in the Second World War.

She has one brother, Lewis, who has a PhD in physics and is a senior lecturer in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow.

A student of the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway, Mackenzie left for the mainland to study history at the University of Glasgow.

She graduated with an MA Honours and had intended to become a teacher.

She returned to the Isle of Lewis, where she met a producer for Grampian TV, (now STV North), who was on holiday.

He offered her a screen test, and she embarked on a career as a journalist and broadcaster that spanned more than twenty five years.

Mackenzie worked as a newscaster between 1981 and 1997.

In 1981, she became a trainee journalist at the age of twenty.

She reported and co-hosted the regional TV station's news programme North Tonight for fourteen years.

Throughout the eighties, North Tonight was replaced by Summer at Six during the summer months, which was a more informal lifestyle magazine with a brief news summary.

Mackenzie was involved in the news output during this period.

Mackenzie hosted the political show Crossfire from the mid-eighties.

She also presented several regional affairs shows, such as We The Jury and One Life To Live.

She was involved in Grampian's coverage of the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster.

Anne Mackenzie also fronted many North Tonight specials for the station.

In 1989 she interviewed the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, from Grampian's Dundee studios.

During her time at Grampian Television, Mackenzie was nicknamed 'the duchess' for being the top female at the television station.

She started her career with Grampian TV, in Aberdeen, before joining BBC Scotland in 1995.

Anne Mackenzie was recruited by the BBC in 1995.

She presented her first edition of Scotland's national news programme, Reporting Scotland, on Wednesday 6 December 1995.

She went on to host every Wednesday early evening broadcast.

She also presented Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland three mornings a week.

Mackenzie's bosses offered her another night fronting the nightly broadcast.

She was now at the helm every Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Mackenzie continued her work with Radio Scotland and also fronted political shows, including Cross Examination.

Anne Mackenzie was involved in BBC Scotland's coverage of the 1996 Dunblane Massacre.

Later that year she reported for the BBC network current affairs show Here and Now, with Sue Lawley.

Mackenzie also anchored several BBC Scotland current affairs programmes, fronting an economic debate programme called, Grasping the Thistle.

In October 1997, Mackenzie left Radio Scotland as part of schedule changes to Reporting Scotland.

She would now host the programme with Jackie Bird on alternate nights, as part of a mini revamp of the broadcast.

This was short lived, as she left the show two months later, in December 1997, to front London-based Westminster Live.

She became a political and current affairs presenter in 1998, anchoring several BBC network programmes.

Mackenzie hosted Westminster Live from 20 January 1998.

She was also a regular stand in for David Frost on the Breakfast with Frost programme in 1998 (and again in 2000).

She also presented the BBC's late night political programme Despatch Box

Mackenzie was also part of the Newsnight Scotland team, with BBC Scotland, from its launch in October 1999 to July 2007.

She could also be heard fronting factual programmes for BBC Radio 4 in London.

Mackenzie was born in Stornoway and grew up on the peninsula of Point, Outer Hebrides.