Daniel Meirion Walker is an English journalist, newsreader and television presenter. He has presented Football Focus since 2009, and BBC Breakfast since 2016. He also presents shows on BBC Radio 5 Live and has presented sport on the BBC News Channel, as well as regularly reporting for Final Score and Match of the Day.
Walker's professional broadcasting career started with work experience at Sheffield's Hallam FM. He gained the work experience after winning a competition for young sports commentators. In 1999, Walker moved to a full-time career with a 4-year stint as a sports presenter and commentator for Manchester's Key 103 radio. In his time at the station he presented the regular midweek sports show and also appeared as the resident sports correspondent for Mike Toolan's breakfast show.
Television
Walker moved into television with a six-month spell at Granada Television in Manchester, appearing as a commentator on the Football League Review show before joining BBC regional news programme North West Tonight. During this time, he was nominated for a number of awards and won the Royal Television Society Sports Award in 2005 for Regional Sports Presenter of the Year. He was unable to attend the ceremony because he was covering the Champions League final in Istanbul. In 2006, Walker started working in London and in 2008 started presenting and reporting at Wimbledon, The Open, Aintree, Ascot and The Derby at Epsom as well as the 6 Nations. In August 2009, Walker took over from Manish Bhasin as the presenter of Football Focus. Walker also presents the web-based Friday preview Friday Focus and writes a blog on the BBC website where he discusses the show and football in general. Walker was part of the BBC Sport team covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He spent the tournament travelling from Cape Town at the start of the tournament to Johannesburg for the final in a double-decker bus, filming packages to be shown both as part of the TV coverage and online, and providing commentary and news via the BBC's online channels and Twitter. On 26 November 2011, Gary Speed appeared as a guest on Football Focus with Walker. The two men spent a total of about four hours with each other on the day. Walker said of Speed: "I always found him to be kind, funny, intelligent and insightful. I found him to be a top bloke and really enjoyed his company." The following morning on Sunday 27 November 2011, Walker received the news that Speed had died at his house in Cheshire. Walker said that he was "stunned" by Speed's death and that he was "incredibly saddened". He had known Speed for quite a long time and had played football with him in a charity match two months earlier. In March 2012, Walker said that he was "staggered by the depth of feeling and shock" on the Sunday when Speed's death was announced. In addition to Walker's TV work, he presented Afternoon Edition every Monday-Thursday on BBC Radio 5 Live until 2016, and has previously hosted shows on the station's evening sports output. In 2016, Walker replaced Bill Turnbull as presenter of BBC Breakfast. His first show aired on 29 February and he currently co-presents the programme from Monday to Wednesday with Louise Minchin. Dan Walker presented the 'Clash of the Titans' segment of the Sport Relief telethon. Along with that, Walker also reported for the 2016 Olympics. In January 2019, Walker had a chance meeting with Tony Foulds, in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, where Foulds was voluntarily maintaining the "Mi Amigo" memorial. Foulds, then aged 8, was in Endcliffe Park when a USAACBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crashed in the park in February 1944; the crash killed all 10 men on board. The pilot apparently tried to avoid Foulds and his friends. After the meeting, Walker started a campaign on social media to organize a flypast at the park. The campaign was successful, and the flypast took place on 22 February 2019, the 75th anniversary of the crash. The event was broadcast nationally and thousands of people, including the families of the 10 airmen involved in the crash, attended the flypast.
Walker has been married to Sarah Walker since 2001, and they have three children. The family reside in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Walker is a Christian. He made a decision not to work on a Sunday once he started employment and has maintained that throughout his career. He belongs to the Evangelical branch of Christianity. He supports Crawley Town Football Club.
