Hazel Irvine is an after-dinner speaker known as the face of the BBC flagship programme Sportscene, which aired in Scotland, and the youngest presenter to host Grandstand. Beginning her career as a radio and television presenter on Scottish radio, Hazel Irvine has a history and arts background and a master’s degree from the prestigious St Andrews University.
Her choice to pursue a career as a sports journalist and TV presenter follows her long-standing interest and participation in sports including netball, golf and athletics. Irvine’s work as a TV presenter extends beyond her interest in these three sports; however, her broadcasting career has seen her work as the co-host for coverage of several high-profile sporting events, from the Snooker World Championships to no less than four FIFA football World Cup tournaments. Irvine joined the BBC in 1990, where she was a presenter for Scotland’s Sportscene and became the youngest-ever presenter for BBC’s Grandstand. Hazel’s abilities as a presenter are not just limited to sports; she also presented BBC Scotland’s coverage of Children in Need for ten years.
Now, with more than thirty years of experience behind her, Hazel Irvine continues to work as a sports commentator and television presenter; she has travelled the world presenting many opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games in Turin, Beijing, London and Rio De Janeiro, just to name a few. Since 1988, Hazel has worked on 15 Olympic Games and 7 Commonwealth Games since 1994.
Her acumen as a presenter was reinforced when she was named Sports Presenter of The Year at the RTS Sports Awards of 2007. Furthermore, she led the presentation of the BBC’s BAFTA-winning Athletics coverage in 2009. Hazel also fronted the BBC's coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and was appointed MBE in the 2024 New Year's Honours for Services to Sport & Charity. Most recently, BBC viewers praised Hazel and Andrew Cotter's humorous commentary during the Paris 2024 Olympics ceremony, calling them exceptional.
Alongside her work as a prominent presenter, Hazel also works as an after-dinner speaker, sharing entertaining stories of her life in broadcasting, her numerous encounters with celebrities and sports personalities, and her own experience of sporting events. Hazel Irvine is available now to book via Champions Speakers. Contact us today!
Reviews
Hazel Irvine received a 4.5 star rating across 14 events in 2023.
Agent Recommendation
"Hazel Irvine is a renowned broadcaster with over three decades of experience in sports journalism, known for her insightful commentary and engaging presence. Her ability to captivate audiences, combined with her deep knowledge of sports and broadcasting, makes her an exceptional speaker who can inspire and educate any audience."
Hazel Irvine's official speaking topics are listed below:
- The Motivation, Homework & Effort Required to Reach the Top
- The Challenges for Production Teams of Live Television
- Leadership Skills
- Experiences in a Male-Dominated Sporting Arena
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"I can’t praise Hazel highly enough for her charming, focused and highly professional approach; supporting and motivating everyone on stage and also behind the scenes... I doubt that the events would have been so engaging and enjoyable without her commitment and support. Entertaining and training 15,000 people over two days was no mean feat – and her presenting talents, phenomenal sporting knowledge and passion for the volunteers and the Games played such a massive part in our success. She was an absolute pleasure to deal with and I hope we get to work with her again soon. There have been so many positive comments from staff, volunteers and stakeholders about Hazel’s involvement and we were delighted she was able to join us for our events." - Commonwealth Games Workforce Orientation Conference 2014
"The evening was a great success - mainly because you got the best out of the guests…you somehow get gently under the skin and get us to the real person versus the external celebrity persona. A pleasure to watch and experience." - CISCO Systems
"The Golf Business Forum at St Andrews was proud to welcome you…. You are the ultimate professional and we really appreciated the amount of preparation and research you had done to stimulate a realistic debate. It was refreshing that you were not afraid of controversy and drilling down on the topics that mattered, moving effortlessly from anecdotal comments, and strategic business issues, to interaction with the international delegates in the audience. Your style and experience was first class and fitted perfectly with our agenda." - KPMG
"You have been a consistent figure at our event for the past eight years and are considered a fully fledged member of the team... Your preparations and conference summations are worthy of an elite athlete..." - UK Sport
"Just a quick not to say a huge thank you for hosting CYMA in such magnificent style – the room was buzzing afterwards with everyone I talked to singing your praises – the best ever! Amazing, fantastic and I’ll stop there to save your blushes." - CMYA Awards
- 2024 - BBC presenter for the Paris 2024 Olympics
- 2024 - Appointed MBE for Services to Sport & Charity
- 2019 - Presenter of the Netball World Cup
- 2018 - BBC Coverage of the Commonwealth Games
- 2014 - BBC Coverage of the Commonwealth Games
- 2008 - Presenter of Olympic Breakfast
- 1996 - Presenter of Ski Sunday
- 1995 - Coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup
- 1994 - Co-Host of Hogmanay Live for the BBC
- 1993 - Presenter of Grandstand for the BBC, the youngest-ever presenter
- 1990 - Presenter of Sportscene for BBC Scotland
- 1988 - Continuity Announcer for Scottish Television
- 1986 - Broadcaster on Radio Clyde
- Presented at every Summer Olympic Games since Barcelona 1992
- Presenter of 5 Winter Olympic Games
- Presenter of 4 FIFA World Cups
- Presenter of the Triple Crown
- Reporter at Wimbledon & the London Marathon
- Reporter & Presenter of Golf for the BBC for 25 years
How to hire Hazel Irvine
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Hazel Irvine for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
