{{Short description|Scottish journalist, TV news presenter (born 1962)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} | name = Jackie Bird | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = Jacqueline Macpherson | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|7|31|df=y}} | birth_place = Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland | years_active = 1980–present | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Bob Bird||2006|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Robin Weir|23 November 2007}} }} | children = {{hlist|Claudia|Jacob}} | occupation = Journalist and broadcaster }}
'''Jacqueline Weir''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (née '''Macpherson''', formerly '''Bird'''; born 31 July 1962<ref>{{cite book|title=Fizzers: Famous Scottish Faces Caricatured|publisher=Scottish Cartoon Art Studio|first=Brian|last=Cox| year=2006|page=88|isbn=1841830941}}</ref>) is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster, best known as a former anchor of the BBC Scotland's national news programme ''Reporting Scotland'' until April 2019. Since 2022, she has been serving as the president of the National Trust for Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/our-new-president-jackie-bird|title=Our new President: Jackie Bird|date = 26 September 2022|publisher=National Trust for Scotland|access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>
== Early life == Jacqueline Macpherson was born on 31 July 1962 in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, the daughter of Linda and Ronnie Macpherson.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDonald |first=Sally |title=INTERVIEW: Jackie Bird on celebrating the courage and kindness of Scotland's lockdown heroes |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/interview-jackie-bird-on-celebrating-the-courage-and-kindness-of-scotlands-lockdown-heroes/ |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=The Sunday Post |date=20 December 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> She has a younger brother and grew up in a council house in Hamilton, where her father was a school janitor and her mother worked in an old persons' home.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bird |first=Jackie |date=2014-10-12 |title=Jackie Bird celebrates 25 years at Reporting Scotland |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/reporting-scotland-anchor-jackie-bird-4425283.amp |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Daily Record |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Mike |date=2019-04-11 |title=Jackie Bird's sudden flight from BBC becomes headline news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/jackie-bird-s-sudden-flight-from-bbc-becomes-headline-news-mgw7fvxs6 |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meighan |first=Craig |date=2024-12-30 |title=Jackie Bird 'thrilled' and 'absolutely honoured' to be made MBE |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/cabinet-office-children-in-need-north-lanarkshire-hamilton-mbe-b1202394.html |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref> She attended Earnock High School.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/default_content/12431316.best-days-life-jackie-bird-tv-presenter/|title=The best days of your life? Jackie Bird, TV presenter|date=4 July 2006|publisher=Herald Scotland|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>
==Career==
Bird was 17 when she started work for DC Thomson in Dundee, working on teenage magazines, and eventually became the pop editor at ''Jackie'' magazine.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tDNAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6394%2C3307590 |title=BBC claims victory over Scottish TV |first=Andrew |last=Young|work=The Glasgow Herald |date=11 October 1989 |page=2 |access-date=24 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24054765|title=Jackie magazine - How a 'teenage bible' defined the 1970s | work=BBC News | date=19 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/jackie-bird-a-woman-whos-become-a-national-icon.2012113583|title=Jackie Bird interview | work=The Herald | date=17 November 2012}}</ref> Subsequently, she worked as a broadcast journalist on Radio Clyde's news team and then as a food critic for the ''Glasgow Evening Times''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mj3s/profiles/jackie-bird|title=Jackie Bird profile | work=BBC Reporting Scotland | date=6 January 2014}}</ref> After working as a reporter for ''The Sun'' newspaper, Bird joined Television South in Maidstone as a reporter and presenter for the South East edition of regional news programme ''Coast to Coast''.<ref>''Coast to Coast: 1982 - 1992'', Froglets Publications, 1992</ref>
Bird left TVS to join BBC Scotland, making her debut as a main presenter of ''Reporting Scotland'' on Monday 16 October 1989. She has also been a main presenter of key event programming for BBC Scotland, including ''Hogmanay Live'' and the Scottish ''Children in Need'' opt-outs.
Bird is also a newspaper columnist and has written and produced comedy series ''The Lewis Lectures'' and ''Having it All'' for BBC Radio Scotland.
On 13 June 2012, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (D Litt) in a graduation ceremony at the University of Glasgow.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2012/june/headline_234406_en.html |title=Outstanding leaders in their field to receive honorary degrees | publisher=University of Glasgow | date=12 June 2012}}</ref>
In October 2014, Bird celebrated 25 years of working on ''Reporting Scotland'', as the programme's longest-serving presenter.<ref>{{cite news|first=Louise |last=Sayers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29570930 |title=Jackie Bird: Celebrating 25 Years at Reporting Scotland |publisher=BBC |work=BBC News |date=12 October 2014 |access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref>
On 11 April 2019, BBC Scotland announced Bird had left ''Reporting Scotland'' after nearly 30 years as a main presenter to concentrate on other projects. Bird presented her final programme the previous evening, without announcing her departure.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/jackie-bird-reporting-scotland?ns_source=twitter&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_press_office&ns_linkname=corporate Jackie Bird departs Reporting Scotland after 30 years at the helm], bbc.co.uk, 11 April 2019</ref>
==Other work== Bird has also toured with Echo & the Bunnymen and worked with Paul Weller.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/29619215|title=After 25 years, the question is...|work=Ariel |date=15 October 2014|publisher=|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
In November 2016, she appeared as herself in the episode, "Down and Out" in series 7 of Scottish sitcom ''Still Game''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/still_game/episodes/7/6/|title=Series 7, Episode 6 - Down And Out|website=comedy.co.uk|access-date=5 January 2017}}</ref> In 2018, Bird made a brief cameo appearance in the zombie Christmas musical film ''Anna and the Apocalypse''.
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-12-30 |title=Jackie Bird and Alan Hansen lead New Year Honours |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4zp7reyvdo |access-date=2026-01-15}}</ref>
==Personal life== Bird met Bob Bird, a newspaper editor, at ''The Sun'' in Glasgow.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-11 |title='Growing up, I didn't see a mountain until I was 21' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/growing-up-i-didnt-see-a-mountain-until-i-was-21-m3qkpjzw3 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref> They married and moved to London, where they had their two children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gibb |first=Bill |date=2016-12-18 |title=Reporting Scotland's Jackie Bird says it's always special to be with her family at Christmas |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/reporting-scotlands-jackie-bird-says-its-always-special-to-be-with-her-family-at-christmas/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=The Sunday Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1993-01-01/1993-12-31?basicsearch=%20jackie%20bird%20claudia&exactsearch=false&country=scotland&retrievecountrycounts=false&mostspecificlocation=scotland&sortorder=score}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1995-01-01/1995-12-31?basicsearch=jackie%20bird%20jacob&somesearch=jackie%20bird%20jacob&retrievecountrycounts=false&country=scotland}}</ref> In 2006, the couple divorced and the following year she married investment fund manager Robin Weir on 23 November 2007 in East Kilbride.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-11-23 |title=BBC TV presenter Jackie ties knot |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7110265.stm |access-date=2022-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dailyrecord.co.uk |date=2007-11-24 |title=Bride Jackie Bird's Big Day |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bride-jackie-birds-big-day-963289 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Daily Record |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/bird-delighted-to-be-making-the-headlines-1.869680|title=Bird delighted to be making the headlines|date=24 November 2007|work=The Herald}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=TV Jackie leads homes fight. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/TV+Jackie+leads+homes+fight.-a0134125478 |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref>
In 2012, Bird had sections of her small and large intestine removed after suffering a rare bowel condition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tv-and-radio/bbc-scotland-presenter-jackie-bird-on-mend-after-life-saving-surgery-1-2628244|title=BBC Scotland presenter Jackie Bird on mend after life-saving surgery|last=Whitaker|first=Andrew|date=12 November 2012|work=The Scotsman}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{bbc.co.uk|id=pressoffice/biographies/biogs/scotland/jackiebird.shtml|title=Jackie Bird}}/pressoffice *{{IMDb name|0083383}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Jackie}} Category:1962 births Category:BBC Scotland newsreaders and journalists Category:Living people Category:People from Bellshill Category:British women television journalists Category:British women radio presenters Category:National Trust for Scotland people Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire