Focus on BBC cameraman David McIlveen as he scoops top television award

A talented Northern Ireland man, normally found behind the lens of a camera, was brought into sharp focus last night when he received a Royal Television Society Award.
David McIlveen filming in AfghanistanDavid McIlveen filming in Afghanistan
David McIlveen filming in Afghanistan

The ceremony, which took place on Zoom, gave David McIlveen and his wife Emma an excuse to dress up and crack open the champagne as he received the prize for Camera Operator of the Year.

The 38-year-old, who lives in Killinchy, said: “The kids watched the first two minutes and got bored and wandered off.

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“Me and my wife were left sitting at the kitchen table. She got all glammed up, the two of us were drinking our bubbly because we’d missed out on a big day in London. It was a good night.

“I’d no idea I was getting the award so I had to wing it when they came to me. That’s the story of my career.”

David is a senior camera journalist based in Belfast where he works with the BBC’s Ireland Bureau.

His stellar work which led to the award included special reports for BBC ‘News at Ten’ during the pandemic, including a series from the coronavirus wards at the Royal London Hospital.

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He also covered the build up to the US election in Arizona, where he visited Trump’s wall, looked at the impact of Covid on the Navajo Nation and covered Black Lives Matter issues in Phoenix.

David picked up the Royal Television Society award for Camera Operator of the YearDavid picked up the Royal Television Society award for Camera Operator of the Year
David picked up the Royal Television Society award for Camera Operator of the Year

The awards recognised the best of the best in journalism and saw David’s regular partner for BBC ‘News at Ten’ – Clive Myrie – receive the Journalist of the Year award.

David, who has two children – six-year-old George and four-year-old Rose – previously worked as a cameraman with BBC NI, taking over from MBE-recipient Peter Cooper who worked for the organisation for 46 years.

He said: “I worked in the camera unit doing studio work on programmes like the ‘Nolan Show’ and outside work on ‘Newsline’.”

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His current role sees him cover stories near and far: “I have a weird kind of dual role. A lot of it is foreign work, international stories with huge impact.

David works for BBC's Ireland Bureau in Belfast. He is pictured here in Vladivostok for the Putin/Kim summitDavid works for BBC's Ireland Bureau in Belfast. He is pictured here in Vladivostok for the Putin/Kim summit
David works for BBC's Ireland Bureau in Belfast. He is pictured here in Vladivostok for the Putin/Kim summit

“The flipside of the job is the Ireland Bureau role which is interviews with the taoiseach, or I’ll be up at Larne port getting soaked over threats to port workers. You get the full range.”

Asked if he felt safe filming on Covid wards, David said: “Obviously at the back of your mind there’s always a bit of apprehension. The truth is, you look around at the staff – they’ve been in there every day. If they can do it, I can do it.

“There’s probably more apprehension doing the stuff in the States where we’re working with homeless communities and talking about their exposure to Covid because it was running wild at the stage. When you’re in the Royal London – it’s state-of-the-art facilities, everyone has got all the PPE on. Some of the other communities we worked in, around the world, that hasn’t necessarily been the case.”

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