Sir Trevor McDonald – “I’m the biggest coward imaginable”

Veteran broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald is joining Saga Magazine as a columnist; to mark the event, he has spoken about some of his most memorable moments in our July edition.

Sir Trevor presented ITV’s News at Ten on and off for 16 years and went on to host his own programme, Tonight with Trevor McDonald.

He’s interviewed everyone from Saddam Hussein, to Nelson Mandela and even flown in Air Force One with Ronald Reagan.

Now aged 84 and looking great, he revealed the King quizzed him on his age recently.

“What a cheeky question!” the former anchorman laughed. “Well, I think he meant to say, ‘You look great,’ Anyway, I replied, ‘Much older than you, sir!’”

Some of Sir Trevor’s key moments

Reporting on the troubles in Northern Ireland

"As my mother would tell you, I'm the biggest coward imaginable. In Belfast, when things got rough in the street, I'd always use the pretext, 'I'm going to find a house where there's a phone and call the office'.

"There were no mobile phones then, but the truth was I couldn't stand the noise. If I heard a shot, I'd run like hell."

Why he turned down a job at the BBC

“They said, ‘We’ve come under pressure by the Race Relations Board to hire more black reporters’. I wanted to get through on merit, not because I was black’.”

He went on to carve out his legendary with career with ITN instead saying, “at no point did they show any evidence I was taken on as the token black.”

Being knighted in 1999

Sir Trevor kept the fax informing him he was being knighted in his pocket for three days before he told his family.

"I thought the Palace was going to call and say they'd made a terrible mistake."

Why he’s ditched his trademark glasses

“I had cataract surgery two years ago, so now I only need glasses for reading and it’s lovely. I have to be careful about my footing these days, but everything on television that used to be a dull red now glows crimson – it’s so clear.”

The kindness of strangers

After a life full of adventures, Sir Trevor has one prevailing takeaway.

“What’s struck me more than anything is the kindness of strangers everywhere you go. 

“I see it now when I use my bus pass to travel to the tennis club. When passengers get off, they all say, “Thank you, driver”. Isn't that lovely? 

“In this dark, turbulent world, there are still these glimmers of decency and light and kindness and generosity and grace.”