In the latest edition of The Senior publication, Rhiannon (Jones) Holmes (Ma/L1999) writes about the impact her time at Benenden has had on her career in broadcast journalism.
I didn’t know it at the time of course but the choices made in my final years at Benenden were instrumental in shaping a future career. A love of drama, public speaking and sport, along with the choice of Spanish A Level, all played a part in a subsequent journey towards broadcast journalism.
I went on to read Hispanic Studies, with Spanish and Portuguese, at Bristol University. Having received a degree, with no clear idea of what to do next, the idea of drama school was toyed with. But a course in TV Current Affairs Journalism at City University in London ticked many of the boxes and the diploma offered a fantastic introduction to the broadcasting industry.
My first job was with ITN as a night producer for its online department. The hours were brutal, but it was an excellent place to learn the trade, from writing, to editing and, most importantly for me, presenting. Being in the right place at the right time played its part. When a presenter failed to turn up for a shift, I was happy to step in to gain that all-important experience and ended up presenting the online news bulletins, as well as the showbiz roundup for ITV2.
The ‘big break’, however, came with a job opportunity in Spain for a bilingual presenter at La Liga’s football club, Real Madrid, which has its own television channel. This is where languages proved essential. I applied for the job. Why not? I had the presenting experience; I was fluent in Spanish… There was just one small problem, I knew nothing about football.
A few days later, came the crash-coaching in the basics of the game, sitting with my brother in the stands of Craven Cottage, watching Fulham in action – my first ever live football match. The following week, life looked very different in sunny Madrid presenting in Spanish for the world’s biggest football club. I stayed for five years.
The football needed to be learned fast. As did a whole new language – that of the beautiful game. The job at Real Madrid TV involved reporting on the matches pitchside, interviewing the players and coaches, hosting preview and post-game analysis shows and even travelling the world with the team.
It was a rewarding and happy time. With a Welsh father, there was great pride in conducting the very first interview with Gareth Bale as a Whites’ player when he made the big move from Tottenham Hotspur. Event hosting for Cristiano Ronaldo’s brand launches, as well as Luis Figo’s bid to become FIFA President were particular highlights. But it was witnessing Real Madrid’s long-awaited tenth European Cup win at the Estadio da Luz in Portugal that stands out as a moment to forever be remembered, together with, of course, the celebration of that victory on the flight home roaring the club anthem ‘Hala Madrid’ with Carlo Ancelotti and the team.
Despite the excitement and glamour of Real Madrid, aged 35, it was time to go home to England.
From London, the journey in sport continued with coverage of the Champions League for Fox Sports, anchoring for CNN and covering the World Athletics Championships, interviewing Olympic legends, Usain Bolt and Sir Mo Farah.
Hosting FIFA events offered an opportunity to, happily, bump into old friends from Madrid; Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Zinedine Zidane… And make new ones in Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and even Maradona!
The next chapter saw the joy of babies collide with the sadness of Lockdown. As it did for most of us, my world shrank, offering time to reflect. The return to work was on a much more sombre note.
The most challenging job to date, I am now an international news anchor. It is a non-stop late-night affair and it is hard to stay detached when the stories covered daily show graphic scenes of horror. It has been busy in a very tough year covering the war in Gaza, the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, wildfires in California and the US elections. In fact, we go to air when Donald Trump wakes up so, no doubt, it will be a busy four years ahead too.
There is some welcome light relief from world affairs though. I also host an upbeat weekly magazine programme covering art, culture, style and entertainment. Filmed in the fabulous original Dragon’s Den studio, ‘Showcase’ is packed full of exclusive celebrity interviews, theatre and musical reviews,
showbiz news and sees me learning anything from basketball tricks with the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, dancing on stage with the cast of the musical ‘Mamma Mia!’ or juggling with the Cirque du Soleil troupe.
It feels like I have come full circle, returning to a love of public speaking, drama and singing… thanks in part to those early choices at School and a Housemaster who believed in me, Jonathan Watts.