Darren Jordon

Born in London to Jamaican parents, Jordon was brought up in the West Indies.

Jordon was trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom, and became a professional army officer. He spent eight years in the Jamaica Regiment, and was part of the 1983 American-led force in the invasion of Grenada. He retired from the army as a captain.

Jordon became an accomplished military and sports parachutist, setting a new record in 1983 for parachuting onto Jamaica's highest mountain. Following his retirement from the army, he worked briefly as a parachute stunt double, appearing in the film Club Paradise.

Upon leaving the army, Jordon sold TV advertising, and was a group sales manager for Yorkshire Television, London Weekend Television, Granada Television with soap expert and TV critic Chris Stacey and M-Net in South Africa.

Jordon started his media career as a sports broadcaster in South Africa.

He joined the BBC in 1998 as a BBC Sport correspondent on BBC News 24, where he later presented the Sportsday programme. He became a regular newsreader on the channel in 1999, before moving to present the relaunched breakfast news programme Breakfast in 2000, working with co-presenters Sophie Raworth, Jeremy Bowen and Sarah Montague. He also later became deputy presenter of the BBC One O'Clock News and presented all types of bulletins on BBC One.

Jordon left the BBC to join Al Jazeera at the end of October 2006, his departure having been announced on 5 October.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5409696.stm Darren Jordon to leave BBC News] – BBC News Online. In the announcement by Al Jazeera of his appointment, he was reported as saying "I think the world will benefit from a news channel like Al Jazeera English which will become the much needed channel of reference for Middle Eastern events with unique access to the region. We will set the news agenda rather than following others."[http://english.aljazeera.net/aboutus/2008/10/2008104175037838670.html Presenters – Doha] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822052141/http://english.aljazeera.net/aboutus/2008/10/2008104175037838670.html |date=2009-08-22 }} – Al Jazeera English Press Office He has become a regular newsreader based in Doha in Qatar.

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• [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/18C0F7E8-9B5C-4D21-8A85-79FAF416F3B6.htm Al Jazeera English profile (contains other presenter profiles)]
• {{IMDb name|0429902}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180031/http://travel.independent.co.uk/americas/article329338.ece Independent Travel – Jordon returns to Grenada]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311125913/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml;jsessionid=K1MGXVZLPQ4V3QFIQMFSFFWAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/travel/exclusions/Supplements/southafrica06/netsafrica0109.xml Telegraph travel – Jordon returns to Johannesburg]
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070701104708/http://www.jdfmil.org/info/releases/2006/apr3.htm Jordon visits Jamaica Defence Force in Iraq]}}
• [http://www.knightayton.co.uk/frameset.html?http://www.knightayton.co.uk/darren_jordon.html Profile at his agents website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311075244/http://www.knightayton.co.uk/frameset.html?http://www.knightayton.co.uk/darren_jordon.html |date=11 March 2007 }}

{{Al Jazeera English personalities}}

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Category:1960 births

Category:Living people

Category:English people of Jamaican descent

Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Category:Jamaican military officers

Category:British reporters and correspondents

Category:British television newsreaders and news presenters

Category:Black British journalists

Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists

Category:Al Jazeera people

Category:Writers from London