Phil Gayle

Phil Gayle (born 6 April 1964 in Birmingham) is a British newsreader and freelance journalist, currently for DW News. Former credits include The Big Breakfast and the ITV News Channel.

Gayle's other TV credits include First Edition, Crimewatch Daily, Seven Days and That's Esther; as well as several LWT current affairs programmes including The Week and The London Programme.

Before working in television, Gayle was a DJ on local radio stations. Between 1986 and 1988, he worked at BRMB Radio, Birmingham. Music DJ presenting overnight, late night and early morning shows.

In 1988, he moved on to Signal Radio, Stoke, presenting a live weekday three-hour night time phone-in five nights a week. He also co-presented the Saturday afternoon sports programme which also included live interviews and music. During 1995 he moved to Rock FM, as a Preston Music DJ on the Sunday evening, post Network Chart show along with two weekend overnight shows.

Gayle presented a live current affairs and lifestyle phone-in on BBC Radio Newcastle in 1995 and 1996, breaking several stories which were picked up by national press. The shows would often feature one-on-one interviews, panel discussions, on-the-road reports and live audience debates.

Since then, his radio work has taken a one-off form or provided relief for existing presenters. Between 2000 and 2001 he was a relief presenter for several live two and three hour shows on LBC. In 2002 he returned as a relief presenter for Steve Allan on his live mid morning daily show as well as the LBC breakfast show.

In 1997, Gayle joined Channel 4 where he was employed as a newsreader on their long-running light-entertainment early morning show The Big Breakfast, a show that enjoyed great success for most of its run. This remains the role Gayle is probably best known for. Gayle took over from Peter Smith and would fill this role until 2000 when he was succeeded by Jasmine Lowson, but would return to the show for its final broadcast in 2002. He would also go on to present other programmes for Channel 4 such as First Edition (1997–2002), a 30-minute current affairs programme aimed at school age children and was the second presenter on Channel 4 News.

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