Nicholas Nick Owen is the name that is linked with the golden era of British broadcasting. Since the stressful breakfast television world and royal reporting, Owen has been one of the most reliable faces in the UK media since the days of the regional news in the Midlands. However, over the past few years, he has made a difference off the screen as he has taken his platform to head a critical national debate on health and cancer awareness.
The Early Years and Rise to National Prominence
Nicholas Corbishley Owen (born 1947, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) started his career in journalism in the mid-1960s. His initial years were occupied serving in the trenches of the local print media such as the Surrey Mirror and the Doncaster Evening Post before he moved to the national press with the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times.
This hard training in print provided him with an accuracy and discipline that would make his television career. His TV debut was in 1981, with BBC, in the North of England but it was when he moved to the then unestablished TV-am in 1983 that he became a household name.
The “Anne and Nick” Era
Owen created one of the most legendary television related partnerships ever in television with Anne Diamond at TV-am. Their romance and working friendliness contributed to shaping the breakfast television programme in the UK. This collaboration proved so effective later on it was revived again on the BBC in the 1990s with the daily show Good Morning with Anne and Nick. The two have to this day been an embodiment of cordial, approachable, yet professional journalism.
A Veteran of the Royal Beat and ITV Sport
Nicholas Owen, the Royal Correspondent of ITV, worked as such in the 1994 to 2000 before becoming a regular news item in the region. It was a historically stormy time of the British monarchy, which involved the divorce of the high-ranking royalties and the tragic end of Diana, Princess of Wales. Owen received acclaim over his collected reportage in times of national sorrow-dignified and calm.
This multi-skilled nature of his also brought him into sports broadcasting. He was a life-long sports fan, who presented for ITV Sport, where he anchored the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Euro 88 and the 1990 World Cup. This knowledge later led to his involvement in the leadership of the football arena as he became the Chairman of Luton Town FC in 2008 until 2017, a position that he did not accept due to a strong personal interest in the club.
The Face of the Midlands: 27 Years of BBC Midlands Today
Nick Owen is the presenter of BBC Midlands Today, which he has presented since 1997. To the audience of the West Midlands, Owen has been a constant, familiar face over a change of decades, in that part of the world. His career has been characterized with a good number of awards, such as the coveted Baird Medal of the Royal Television Society in recognition of his lifetime contribution to television.
The Personal Challenge: A 2023 Diagnosis
Nicholas Owen was challenged to an even more Earth-shattering feat than any live broadcast in April 2023. Though he did not show any sign of physical symptoms, a regular blood test showed a high level of PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen). This was diagnosed as extensive and aggressive prostate cancer.
The move by Owen to publish his diagnosis in August 2023 was a catalyst to general health education in the UK. He demystified the disease by being able to talk openly about the worst day of his life, to millions of men.
The “Nick Owen Effect” and PSA Awareness
After his announcement, a reported rush of men to obtain prostate checks occurred. This resulted in the phenomenon commonly referred to as the Jade Goody effect with cervical cancer. Owen has been a relentless campaigner of PSA Test Awareness. His view is that prostate cancer is generally a silent killer that shows no symptoms until it is late.
His updates on his health have remained a source of hope for 2024 and 2025. Owen reported that he was not only doing well. He was probably cancer free by April 2025, having gone through a radical prostatectomy. He always talks of how strangers come to him in the street to thank him. They thank him because he saved their lives to the extent of his advocacy.
Recognition and New Ventures: The 2024 MBE and Beyond
Nicholas Owen was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours. This was in recognition of his 50 years in broadcasting and his selfless charity work. The award was not only honoring his professional life. It also recognized his activities with charity groups such as Baby Lifeline, The Children Trust, and Prostate Cancer UK.
The Deadly Silent Podcast
Owen started The Deadly Silent Podcast in 2024. It is a specific station devoted to shattering the stigma of male health. He uses this podcast to talk to survivors, medical professionals, and celebrities. This opens up a discussion. The title is a reference to the quietness of the illness. A quietness that men tend to maintain in their health situations—a quietness that he is determined to break.
Conclusion: A Man of Trust
It is the sense of serving the people that has characterized the career of Nicholas Owen. Whether that be in reporting the news, cheering Luton Town, or lobbying to have life saving medical tests performed. He is a crucial figure in British life. He continues his work until 2025, a broadcaster who no longer narrates the stories of the nation. Rather, he helps to save the life of the people who watch him.
