Dan Walker Bio

Daniel Meirion Walker was born in 1977 in Crawley, West Sussex, and lived with his English father and Welsh mother, as well as three siblings until he moved to Sheffield for university. He attended the University of Sheffield, studying a Bachelor (Honours) in History in 1998, and a Master of Arts in Journalism Studies in 1999. 

Dan Walker’s broadcasting career started in radio, with work experience at Sheffield’s Hallam FM. In 1999 he moved into a full-time role with four years as a sports presenter and commentator for Key 103 in Manchester. In 2003 he moved into television at Granada Television in Manchester with a role as commentator on the Football League Review show. 

Since then, Dan Walker has held presenting roles with BBC Radio 5 Live, North West Tonight (BBC), Wimbledon Championships, The Open, Aintree, Ascot, The Derby and the Six Nations. In 2009 he took over as presenter on BBC’s Football Focus and held the role for 12 years. He was also part of the BBC Sport team that covered the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the English team base. 

For the 2012 Olympic Games, Dan Walker presented a nightly round up of events, and covered the evening sessions of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games for BBC Three. He held a similar role for the Rio 2016 Games on BBC Four, and co-hosted Olympic Breakfast for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

In 2019 Dan Walker was awarded an Honorary LittD (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Sheffield. In 2022 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Media from Solent University, and in 2024 he was awarded with Presenter of the Year at the The Association for International Broadcasting Annual International Awards.   

BBC Breakfast to Channel 5 

Dan Walker made the change from BBC Breakfast to Channel 5 in 2022. While a higher remuneration was said to be the cause of his move, Walker explained at the time that he was also able to have a creative role alongside the news. This allowed him to make a wider range of programmes, which doesn’t come along too often in television. 

He also mentioned that he enjoyed his time at the BBC and hasn’t burnt his bridges, hoping to work for them again. 

Moving to Channel 5 however came with its own controversy. In early 2026 Walker found himself facing allegations from a former colleague in an unfair dismissal claim who said she was subjected to bullying during her time alongside Walker at Channel 5. He was also accused of sexism and misogyny. ITN, which produces Channel 5 News, and Channel 5’s owner Paramount were also named as respondents.

Walker strenuously denied the allegations and had more than 50 character witness statements prepared to share with the tribunal. He was cleared of all allegations. 

Charity work

Dan Walker is an active patron of several UK charities including the Sheffield Children’s Hospital charity. In 2019 he participated in a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief with several celebrities including Dani Dyer, Shirley Ballas, Antia Rani and Ed Balls. 

Dan Walker Books 

Dan Walker has published four books. 

• Dan Walker’s Football Thronkersaurus: Football’s Finest Tales (2014)

• Magic, Mud and Maradona: Cup Football’s Finest Tales (2016)

• Remarkable People: Extraordinary Stories of Everyday Lives (2021)

• Standing on the Shoulders: Incredible Heroes and How They Inspire Us (2022)