Richard Kerbaj

Born in Melbourne, Australia to parents of Druze origin, Kerbaj's family moved to a village in Lebanon in 1980 when he was 2 years old. They became trapped by the country's escalating civil war.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Peter |date=14 October 2022 |title=From Melbourne milk bar to BAFTA winner: How Richard Kerbaj made his own luck |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/from-melbourne-milk-bar-to-bafta-winner-how-richard-kerbaj-made-his-own-luck-20220726-p5b4lq.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}

His family returned to Melbourne and lived in Toorak where they ran a milk bar. During Kerbaj's final year of high school his English grades improved dramatically with help from tutor and friend Ben Sheehan. In March 2001, Kerbaj started a writing course at Deakin University, where he studied under influential Australian author, journalist and photographer Peter Davis. Kerbaj's first newspaper article was an August 2001 profile of host of Barry Bissell, the host of radio show Take 40 Australia, which was published in The Age.

Kerbaj initially worked as a freelancer before he started working for The Australian newspaper in 2005.

In 2006 Kerbaj published an article on Sheikh Taj Din al-Hilali which won the John Curtin Prize for Journalism and a Young Journalist of the Year award at News Limited which gave him the opportunity to work at a News Limited publication in London for three months.

In 2018 Kerbaj shared the "Scoop of the Year" award with Tom Harper and Jon Ungoed-Thomas at the British Press Awards for their reporting on pornography found on the computer of Damian Green.{{Cite web |title=Financial Times crowned Newspaper of the Year at National Press Awards for 2017 – Society of Editors |url=https://www.societyofeditors.org/soe_news/financial-times-crowned-newspaper-of-the-year-at-national-press-awards-for-2017/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |language=en-GB}}

In December,{{Year needed|date=March 2023}} Kerbaj praised the series' star David Tennant, stating that he had: "Saved our show because it was commissioned a few months before COVID hit. Had David decided not to stay involved, I’m not sure the drama would've been made."{{cn|date=March 2023}}

• My Son the Jihadi, a BAFTA winning documentary about the mother of Thomas Evans, an Al Shabaab militant who was killed in 2015.{{Cite web |first=Jamie |last=Grierson |date=2015-06-15 |title=Mother of Briton 'killed fighting for al-Shabaab' felt let down by authorities |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/15/briton-thomas-evans-killed-fighting-for-al-shabaab |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}Reviews: {{bulleted list|{{Cite web |title=My Son the Jihadi |url=https://www.truevisiontv.com/films/my-son-the-jihadi |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=True Vision TV |language=en-GB}}|{{Cite web |last=Chasse |first=Kelsie |title=In Review: My Son the Jihadi; How one family’s experience with extremism is not extreme. |url=https://natoassociation.ca/in-review-my-son-the-jihadi-how-one-familys-experience-with-extremism-is-not-extreme/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=NAOC |language=en-CA}}|{{Cite news |last=Craw |first=Victoria |date=26 October 2015 |title=My Son the Jihadi documents heartbreaking story of family of Thomas Evans |work=News.com.au |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/my-son-the-jihadi-documents-heartbreaking-story-of-family-of-thomas-evans/news-story/da7a0394d5aea7f24ac9a6196a635551 |access-date=29 October 2022}}|{{Cite news |last=Billen |first=Andrew |title=TV review: My Son the Jihadi; The Last Kingdom |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/tv-review-my-son-the-jihadi-the-last-kingdom-krp86ssk9cp |access-date=2022-10-29 |issn=0140-0460}}|{{Cite web |date=2015-10-22 |title=My Son The Jihadi: From electrician to Al-Shabaab fighter |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/my-son-the-jihadi-tv-review-from-electrician-in-high-wycombe-to-alshabaab-fighter-in-somalia-a6705106.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=The Independent |language=en}}|{{Cite news |date=2015-10-16 |title=My Son the Jihadi, Channel 4 |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4aca2acc-73a3-11e5-bdb1-e6e4767162cc |access-date=2022-10-29}}|{{Cite web |title=My Son the Jihadi: What turns teenagers to terrorism? |url=https://www.thenationalstudent.com/TV/2015-10-23/my_son_the_jihadi_what_turns_teenagers_to_terrorism.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=www.thenationalstudent.com}} }}
• Hunting the KGB Killers, a documentary about the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.Reviews: {{bulleted list|{{Cite web |first=Rebecca |last=Nicholson |date=2017-04-18 |title=Hunting the KGB Killers – gripping documentary more outrageous than a spy movie |url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/apr/18/hunting-the-kgb-killers-gripping-documentary-more-outrageous-than-a-spy-movie |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}|{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Dorothy |title=‘Hunting the KGB Killers’ Review: The Life and Death of a Secret Agent |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hunting-the-kgb-killers-review-the-life-and-death-of-a-secret-agent-1502395175 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}|{{Cite news |last=Hogan |first=Michael |date=2017-04-17 |title=Hunting the KGB Killer review: a gripping and timely insight into the dark side of Putin’s post-Soviet superpower |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/04/17/hunting-kgb-killer-review-gripping-timely-insight-dark-side/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |issn=0307-1235}}|{{Cite news |date=2017-04-14 |title=Hunting the KGB Killers, C4 — ‘a fantastic detective story’ |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ea82be0a-1fe4-11e7-b7d3-163f5a7f229c |access-date=2022-10-29}}|{{Cite web |title=TV Review of the Week: Hunting the KGB Killers, Broadchurch and Hospital People |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/15239130.tv-review-of-the-week-hunting-the-kgb-killers-broadchurch-and-hospital-people/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=The National |language=en}}|{{Cite web |title=Hunting the KGB Killers |url=https://www.truevisiontv.com/films/hunting-the-kgb-killers |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=True Vision TV |language=en-GB}}|{{Cite web |last=Baylis |first=Matt |date=2017-04-18 |title=Last night's TV reviewed: Bitter taste of espionage |url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/792922/review-Hunting-the-KGB-Killers-C4-Natures-Weirdest-Events-BBC2 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Express.co.uk |language=en}} }}

• {{Cite book |last=Kerbaj |first=Richard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1338655960 |title=The secret history of the Five Eyes : the untold story of the international spy network |date=2022 |isbn=978-1-78946-503-7 |location=London |oclc=1338655960}}Reviews: {{Bulleted list|{{Cite web |date=2022-10-02 |title=The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbaj review – secrets and spies |first=Steve |last=Bloomfield |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/02/the-secret-history-of-the-five-eyes-untold-story-international-spy-network-by-richard-kerbaj-review |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}|{{Cite web |last=Caterson |first=Simon |date=2022-09-30 |title=Bye bye Bond: What it’s really like inside the secretive Five Eyes spy network |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/bonded-to-007-no-longer-inside-the-global-intelligence-alliance-20220926-p5bl22.html |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}|{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Peter |date=2022-11-25 |title=Peter Edwards reviews "The Secret History of the Five Eyes: The untold story of the international spy network" by Richard Kerbaj |url=https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/current-issue/984-december-2022-no-449/9935-peter-edwards-reviews-the-secret-history-of-the-five-eyes-the-untold-story-of-the-international-spy-network-by-richard-kerbaj |access-date=2023-01-07 |website=Australian Book Review |language=en-gb}}|{{Cite magazine |volume=151 |issue=5686 |journal=New Statesman |pages=50-51 |last=Bowen |first=Jeremy |date=2022-09-14 |title=The “Five Eyes” spies who fought the West’s secret wars |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2022/09/five-eyes-spies-fought-west-secret-wars |access-date=2022-10-28 |location=London |issn=1364-7431 |eissn=1758-924X |language=en-US}}|{{Cite web |first=David |last=Fisher |title=NZ's secretive role in Five Eyes spy alliance laid bare in new book |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-book-on-five-eyes-spying-club-explains-nzs-role-in-worlds-largest-intelligence-network/ZNKREVGKDGBCLDFADILA2DRZKU/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}|{{Cite web |first=Daniel |last=Flitton |title=Downer, Turnbull, Trump and a poke in the Five Eyes {{!}} Lowy Institute |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/downer-turnbull-trump-poke-five-eyes |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Lowy Institute}}|{{Cite web |first=Douglas |last=H. Wise |title=Reviewing The Secret History of the Five Eyes |url=https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column_article/reviewing-the-secret-history-of-the-five-eyes |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=The Cipher Brief |language=en-US}}|{{Cite web |date=2022-10-02 |title=The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbaj review – secrets and spies |url=https://www.pehalnews.in/the-secret-history-of-the-five-eyes-by-richard-kerbaj-review-secrets-and-spies/2477139/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Pehal News |language=en-US}}|{{Cite web |first=Nevil |last=Gibson |date=2022-10-18 |title=Five Eyes: The spy network that protects the West |url=https://www.nbr.co.nz/book-review/five-eyes-the-spy-network-that-protects-the-west/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=NBR {{!}} The Authority since 1970 |language=en-GB}}|{{Cite web |date=2022-08-21 |title=The Secret History of the Five Eyes - Good Reading |url=https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/titlepage/the-secret-history-of-the-five-eyes/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |language=en-AU}}|{{Cite web |first=Phillip |last=Deery |issn=1837-0497 |location=Carlton, Victoria |date=2022-11-08 |title=Eyes spy • Phillip Deery |url=https://insidestory.org.au/eyes-spy/ |access-date=2023-01-07 |website=Inside Story |language=en}}|{{Cite news |last=Stevenson |first=Tom |date=2023-01-19 |title=Friends with Benefits |language=en |volume=45 |work=London Review of Books |issue=02 |url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n02/tom-stevenson/friends-with-benefits |access-date=2023-02-09 |issn=0260-9592}} }}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.thetimes.com/profile/richard-kerbaj Profile at The Times UK]

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Category:21st-century Australian journalists

Category:BAFTA winners (people)

Category:21st-century Australian writers

Category:The Press Awards

Category:1970s births

Category:Living people