Steve Rider

Steve Rider was best known as the host  of BBC Television's Grandstand and Sportsnight for over 20 years, before joining ITV Sport in 2006 to present Formula One. He went on to become the main anchor of their World Cup '06 coverage and also hosts Champions League on ITV1. Steve has also presented the FA Cup and England fixtures for ITV.

In 1980 Steve made his network debut as presenter of ITV coverage from the Moscow Olympics and he is the only television journalist to have presented all of the major sports magazine programmes of British Television, including BBC TV Grandstand, BBC TV Sportsnight, ITV World of Sport and ITV's Midweek Sports Special.

Steve has a journalistic background both in local newspapers and press/public relations. For two years he was a reporter and feature writer with Hayters, the Fleet Street based sports agency, before joining the newly established independent local radio stations LBC/IRM as a sports presenter and reporter.

His television career began at Anglia Television, where he was Sports Editor. Two years later he joined Thames Television where he was widely regarded as one of ITV sports top presenters and reporters.

In 1985 he accepted an invitation from the BBC to take over from Harry Carpenter as presenter of Sportsnight, a role he filled for six years. In 1991 he switched positions to become the main host of BBC Sports flagship programme Grandstand. During this period he also took over as BBC's golf presenter and became closely associated with the Ryder Cup, The Open, the US Masters and World Matchplay. Since 2000, Steve also presented the BBC coverage of 'The Seve Cup'. 2006 his book 'Europe at the Masters' was published.

Since 1986, Steve hosted the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. In 2003, Steve published a book to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this prestigious event.

Since 1980 Steve has anchored coverage of the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics and the Winter Olympics. In 1996 he hosted the bulk of BBC's coverage of the Barcelona 1996 Olympics, which won the International Olympic Committee Golden Rings Award, the Royal Television Society Sports Award and was nominated for a BAFTA award. Steve continued to be the main anchor for the BBC's Olympics and Commonwealth Games coverage, up to and including Athens 2004.

Other sporting events Steve presented for the BBC include The Cricket World Cup in 1999, three major documentaries on The Open 2000 and the award winning documentary on Ayrton Senna and Motormonth, a weekly look at motor racing around the country. 1998 saw Steve host Wimbledon and front the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. He hosted the Boat Race for several years and the BBC's rowing coverage. Steve's other credits (appearing as 'himself') include Goodnight Sweetheart, French and Saunders, The Full Wax, Blankety Blank and They Think it's all Over.

He developed the BBC's domestic motor sports profile and pioneered the highly successful British Touring Car Championship through BHP, which became a highly rated Grandstand feature. Steve has become strongly involved in corporate video and presentation for the motor industry along with Golf companies, clients include Williams, McLaren, HSA, Volvo, Wilson, Nissan, Jordan, Littlewoods, Jaguar, Renault and the RAC Network Q Rally.