Frank Gardner (journalist)
| Frank Gardner | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Francis Rolleston Gardner 31 July 1961 Hampstead, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Marlborough College |
| Alma mater | University of Exeter |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable credit(s) | BBC Six O'Clock News |
| Spouse(s) | Amanda Jane Pearson (1997-present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1984- |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Royal Green Jackets |
Francis Rolleston "Frank" Gardner, OBE, FRGS (born 31 July 1961), is a British journalist, correspondent and Territorial Army officer. He is currently the BBC's Security Correspondent. He was appointed an OBE in 2005 for his services to journalism.
Gardner's father and mother, Robert Neil Gardner and Evelyn Grace Rolleston, were both diplomats and when he was six he moved from the UK to the Hague in the Netherlands. The excitement of travel to a foreign country left a lasting impression. Educated at Saint Ronan's School, and Marlborough College, Gardner was pushed by his teachers into taking up biathlon, which enabled him to travel to Austria to train with the British Army biathlon team.
When he was 16, Gardner and his mother had met the Arabian explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger (whom his mother had previously known) on a bus. Invited to the explorer's home in Chelsea, the initially reluctant Gardner fell in love with Arabia. Partly as a result – and partly reasoning that knowing the Arabic language would make him recruitable in 22 countries many of which had oil – he determined to study the Arabic language.
In his gap year Gardner went backpacking to Greece where, when working at a restaurant, he spotted an advertisement for a £100 one-way ticket to Manila in the Philippines. Once there, he spent time with the tribal people.
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