{{Short description|British radio presenter}} {{Infobox person | name = Henry Bonsu | image = | caption = | birth_date = 1967 | birth_place = Manchester, England | alma_mater = Magdalen College, Oxford (Modern Languages) | occupation = Radio presenter, journalist | known_for = Presenter on Times Radio (late-evenings), former panellist on The Wright Stuff | notable_works = Times Radio, BBC, The Voice, Black Britain }} '''Henry Bonsu''' (born 1967<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mutsoli |first=Vivian |date=2022-06-10 |title=List of presenters who left BBC and where they are today |url=https://www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/celebrity-biographies/457620-list-presenters-left-bbc-today/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.}}</ref>) is a British radio presenter and former print journalist. He presents on Thursday and Friday late-evenings on Times Radio.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Schedule {{!}} Times Radio {{!}} The Times and The Sunday Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/radio/schedule |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=The Times}}</ref>

== Background == Bonsu was born in Manchester and is of Ghanaian heritage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mr. Henry Bonsu {{!}} Department of Economic and Social Affairs |url=https://sdgs.un.org/panelists/mr-henry-bonsu-29286 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=sdgs.un.org}}</ref> He studied Modern Languages at Magdalen College, Oxford<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freelance journalist and Broadcaster, Henry Bonsu (Magdalen, 1986) |url=https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/freelance-journalist-and-broadcaster-henry-bonsu-magdalen-1986 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=podcasts.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> between 1986 and 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HENRY BONSU (MAGDALEN, 1986) |url=https://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/quad/quadcast/henry-bonsu |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.alumni.ox.ac.uk}}</ref>

== Career == Bonsu initially worked as a print journalist at the ''Manchester Evening News'' and ''The Voice'',<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Henry Bonsu |url=https://www.speakerscorner.co.uk/conference-facilitators/henry-bonsu |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.speakerscorner.co.uk}}</ref> a newspaper covering issues affecting Black people in the UK. He then joined the BBC as a producer.<ref name=":2" /> At the BBC, Bonsu he worked on several news and current affairs programmes which were broadcast on radio.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HENRY BONSU (MAGDALEN, 1986) |url=https://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/quad/quadcast/henry-bonsu |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.alumni.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> In the mid-1990s, Bonsu joined ''Black Britain'', a programme on BBC Two.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bonsu |first=Henry |title=Henry Bonsu: My Life In Media {{!}} The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/henry-bonsu-my-life-in-media-415461.html}}</ref>

Bonsu carried out in-depth, documentary-style reporting for the BBC; for example, in 2001, Bonsu reported for ''Crossing Continents'' from Zurich about the demise of the airline Swissair.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-11-28 |title=A nation in shock: Swissair crisis |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/1677085.stm |publisher=BBC News|access-date=2024-11-20}}</ref> Also for example, in 2007, Bonsu presented a series for BBC Radio 4 about those Africans who were perpetrators and perpetuators of the slave trade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC - (none) - Squaring the Triangle - 26 March 2007 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/squaringthetriangle/pip/vcdlt/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

In 2002, Bonsu started appearing regularly as a panellist on ''The Wright Stuff'',<ref name=":0" /> a morning news discussion and celebrity interview programme on Channel 5. In the same year, Bonsu began working as a reporter for Channel 4 breakfast show ''RI:SE'' from the point of its launch.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-04-11 |title=Channel 4 reveals morning Rise |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1923612.stm |access-date=2024-11-20}}</ref>

In 2004, Bonsu was axed from BBC London 94.9 (now known as BBC Radio London), the BBC Local Radio station for London, because he was told he was "too intellectual" for the radio station.<ref name=":4" /> Whilst at the station, he presented in several different timeslots.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Henry Bonsu – “Too Intellectual” |url=https://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/911/henry-bonsu-too-intellectual.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Modern Ghana |language=en}}</ref> Following his axing, he accused the BBC of not adequately covering issues affecting Black people.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Cozens |first=Claire |date=2004-03-09 |title=Axed DJ accuses BBC of failing black community |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/mar/09/bbc.radio |access-date=2024-11-20 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Bonsu helped to create Colourful Radio, a London radio station aimed at Black people which launched in 2006.<ref name=":0" /> As of 2007, he was presenting the station's drivetime show, which contained speech content aimed at Black people; in the same year, the station was broadcasting on digital radio.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-05-30 |title=No charges for slavery protester |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6706029.stm|publisher=BBC News |access-date=2024-11-20}}</ref>

By 2009, Bonsu had been a news commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live.<ref name=":5" /> From 2009 until 2014, Bonsu presented the programme ''Shoot The Messenger'' on Vox Africa. From 2008 until 2011, he presented on BET International. From 2009 until 2015, he presented on Press TV,<ref>{{Cite web |title=SPEAKERS – Caribbean Food and Drink Conference |url=https://caribbeanfoodanddrinkconference.com/speakers/ |access-date=2024-11-21}}</ref> a news channel funded by the Iranian government.

In the past, Bonsu has appeared regularly to review the following morning's newspapers on the BBC News channel's ''The Papers.''

Bonsu joined Times Radio as a stand-in presenter in 2021, and in 2022 he was given the regular slots of 10pm-1am on Thursday and Friday nights.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-07 |title=Times Radio launches new evening schedule for Autumn |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2022/10/times-radio-launches-new-evening-schedule-for-autumn/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday}}</ref> He continues to present in these slots.<ref name=":3" /> Bonsu's show is unique in that although the show covers hard-hitting and current affairs topics, Bonsu lets his midnight guest choose a snippet of a song to be played to start the midnight hour.

By 2022, Bonsu had carried out a considerable amount of conference moderation for the United Nations.<ref name=":1" /> He has also moderated a range of other conferences on broad topics.

Bonsu is a regular panellist on ''Jeremy Vine'', a weekday morning TV show on Channel 5 normally presented by Jeremy Vine in which guests talk about the morning's news.

== Personal life == Bonsu is a fluent speaker of German and French.<ref name=":2"/>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonsu, Henry}} Category:1969 births Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Category:Black British journalists Category:British radio presenters Category:English people of Ghanaian descent Category:Journalists from Manchester Category:Living people Category:Mass media people from Manchester