Hazel Irvine: How a Scottish Sports Presenter Became a BBC Mainstay
Introduction
Hazel Irvine is a Scottish sports presenter and journalist best known for her work with BBC Sport.
Her career stretches back to the 1980s. It is still active.
As of September 2026, Irvine remains part of major BBC sports coverage. She helped lead the BBC’s television coverage of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and later appeared as a BBC Two presenter during the 2026 World Snooker Championship.
That long career has taken her through football, golf, athletics, skiing, tennis, snooker and the Olympic Games. She has also received an MBE, a major BAFTA Scotland honour and an honorary doctorate from the University of St Andrews.
Quick Facts About Hazel Irvine
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full professional name | Hazel Irvine MBE |
| Profession | Sports presenter and journalist |
| Known for | BBC Sport, Olympics, snooker, golf and major sporting events |
| Birthplace | St Andrews, Scotland |
| Raised in | Helensburgh, Scotland |
| School | Hermitage Academy |
| University | University of St Andrews |
| Degree | MA in History of Art |
| Graduation year | 1986 |
| Sports presenting debut | Scotsport, 1987 |
| First Olympic assignment | Seoul Olympics, 1988 |
| Main broadcaster | BBC |
| Honour | MBE for services to sport and charity |
| BAFTA honour | Outstanding Contribution to Television, 2024 |
| Honorary degree | Doctor of Laws, University of St Andrews, 2024 |
| Charity role | Honorary President of ENABLE Scotland |
Her exact date of birth is intentionally not included here because I did not find a strong enough primary source confirming it.
Early Life in Scotland
Hazel Irvine was born at Craigtoun Hospital in St Andrews, according to the University of St Andrews.
Her family later moved.
She was four years old when they relocated to Helensburgh, on Scotland’s west coast. Irvine attended Hermitage Academy there before returning to St Andrews as a university student in 1982.
Sport was already part of her life.
At university, Irvine took part in golf, netball and athletics. She earned university colours in netball and athletics.
But she did not study broadcasting.
Actually, her academic subject was History of Art. She graduated from the University of St Andrews with an MA in 1986.
That makes her route into television quite interesting. Her education was rooted in art and research, while sport was something she actively played and followed.
Soon, the two sides of her life changed direction.
Broadcasting took over.
How Hazel Irvine Started Her Broadcasting Career
Irvine’s sports presenting career began on Scotsport in 1987.
She covered Scottish football for the programme. Only months later, she was working at a much bigger event: the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, where she covered the Games for ITV.
That was an early jump.
And it mattered.
The Seoul Games became the starting point for a relationship with Olympic broadcasting that would continue for decades.
Irvine later moved into BBC television and presented Sportscene for BBC Scotland in 1990. BAFTA records her as becoming the youngest presenter of the BBC’s flagship sports programme Grandstand in 1992.
Her work was no longer tied to one sport.
Football was there. So was skiing. Golf followed. Then athletics, tennis, snooker and major international events.
She became a familiar BBC face.
Hazel Irvine and the Olympic Games
The Olympics form a big part of Irvine’s career.
Her first Games came in Seoul in 1988. Decades later, she was still presenting Olympic coverage.
The University of St Andrews recorded in December 2024 that she had presented at 18 Summer and Winter Olympic Games since Seoul, with Paris 2024 being the latest at that point.
Then came another one.
For the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February 2026, BBC Sport named Hazel Irvine alongside Clare Balding and Jeanette Kwakye as the presenters leading its television coverage.
Irvine hosted BBC One’s morning coverage from 9am to noon.
So, she was still working at the top level of BBC sports broadcasting nearly four decades after Seoul.
Quite a run.
Irvine has also worked on Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, helping guide viewers through some of the Games’ largest televised moments.
A Long Connection With Snooker
For many viewers, Hazel Irvine is closely tied to snooker.
Very closely.
BAFTA reported in 2024 that she had fronted snooker coverage for 23 years, including the World Snooker Championship.
Her Crucible work continued after that milestone.
During the 2026 World Snooker Championship, BBC live coverage identified Irvine as a presenter on BBC Two. She continued working across the tournament from Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
She has shared BBC snooker coverage with former champions, commentators and presenters across many years.
That consistency counts.
Viewers who have followed the World Championship for years will have seen Irvine handle studio discussions, match transitions, interviews and live situations where timing can change very quickly.
She knows the format.
Golf, Ski Sunday and Other Major Sports
Snooker and the Olympics are only part of the story.
Irvine fronted golf coverage for around 25 years, according to BAFTA. Her work included major tournaments such as The Open and the Masters.
She was also strongly associated with Ski Sunday.
BAFTA records her period as the programme’s presenter from 1996 to 2007, giving her more than a decade connected with one of the BBC’s best-known winter sports programmes.
Her credits have stretched much wider.
They include Wimbledon, World Cups, the London Marathon, athletics championships, the Boat Race and Commonwealth Games coverage.
That range explains something about her BBC career.
She was never limited to one desk.
Hazel Irvine’s MBE
A major official honour arrived in the 2024 New Year Honours.
Hazel Irvine was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE.
The UK government’s official honours record lists her as:
Sports Presenter and Honorary President of ENABLE Scotland.
The honour was awarded for her services to sport and charity.
Her charity work is not simply an extra line attached to her television career.
ENABLE Scotland has been part of her public work, and her role with the organisation was specifically mentioned in the official reason for her MBE.
BAFTA Scotland Recognition
Another major honour followed later in 2024.
Hazel Irvine received the BAFTA Scotland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television.
BAFTA presented the award in November 2024, recognising her long career across sports television.
Her BAFTA record goes further back.
She had previously received nominations, and her television production work included serving as an executive producer on Glasgow ’67: The Lisbon Lions, which won BAFTA Scotland’s Single Documentary award in 2017.
So Irvine’s television career has included work in front of the camera and behind it.
Honorary Degree From St Andrews
December 2024 brought another personal connection back into view.
Irvine returned to the University of St Andrews, where she had studied decades earlier, to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
The university said the LLD recognised her contributions as a sports presenter and journalist, her work on major national events and her charitable activity.
It was a neat return.
She had first arrived at St Andrews as an undergraduate in 1982. More than four decades later, the university honoured the broadcasting career that followed.
Work Outside Sport
Sport dominates Irvine’s public career, but it has not been her only television work.
The University of St Andrews notes that she has worked on national and public events including D-Day commemorations, VE celebrations, Scotland’s millennium celebrations and BBC Children in Need.
BAFTA also lists programmes and events outside standard sports broadcasting among her television credits.
It shows why describing her only as a snooker presenter would miss much of her work.
Her career has covered live broadcasting in many forms.
Hazel Irvine’s Husband and Family
Irvine keeps her family life largely outside her public work.
So this section needs to stay simple.
The University of St Andrews publicly confirmed in its 2024 laureation address that Irvine and her husband have a daughter.
That is enough.
Names and other family details have not been added here because they are not needed to explain her public career and should not be filled in from weak profile sites.
Irvine has also been publicly described as a supporter of Dumbarton Football Club. St Andrews says she enjoys golf and long walks in her spare time.
Is Hazel Irvine Still Working for the BBC?
Yes.
As of September 2026, recent BBC coverage confirms that Irvine remains active as a sports presenter.
She was part of the BBC’s lead television team for the 2026 Winter Olympics, presenting morning coverage on BBC One.
She also worked on the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 World Snooker Championship.
So there is no basis for describing her as retired.
Her role has changed across different sports over the years, but her BBC presenting career is still active.
Why Hazel Irvine Is So Closely Linked With BBC Sport
Longevity is one reason.
Range is another.
Irvine began presenting sport in 1987, worked at her first Olympics in 1988 and went on to cover many of Britain’s biggest televised sporting events.
Some viewers know her from skiing.
Others know the snooker voice.
Golf fans remember her major championship coverage. Olympic viewers have seen her across Summer and Winter Games.
Basically, different generations may recognise her from completely different sports.
Few presenters get that kind of span.
Final Thought
Hazel Irvine’s career did not come from one viral moment or one programme.
It grew year by year.
Scotsport came first. Seoul followed. Then BBC Scotland, Grandstand, Ski Sunday, golf, snooker and repeated Olympic assignments.
She is still on screen.
That matters most.
As of 2026, Irvine remains an active BBC sports presenter, while her MBE, BAFTA Scotland honour and honorary doctorate now mark a broadcasting career stretching across almost four decades.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hazel Irvine?
Hazel Irvine MBE is a Scottish sports presenter and journalist best known for her long-running work with BBC Sport.
Is Hazel Irvine still working?
Yes. She presented BBC coverage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and worked on the BBC’s 2026 World Snooker Championship coverage.
Where was Hazel Irvine born?
She was born at Craigtoun Hospital in St Andrews, Scotland.
Where did Hazel Irvine study?
She studied at the University of St Andrews and graduated in 1986 with an MA in History of Art.
When did Hazel Irvine start presenting sport?
Her sports presenting debut came on Scotsport in 1987. She then covered the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
What sports has Hazel Irvine presented?
Her broadcasting work has included the Olympics, snooker, golf, football, athletics, skiing, tennis and other major sporting events.
Does Hazel Irvine have an MBE?
Yes. She received an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity.
What BAFTA award did Hazel Irvine receive?
She received BAFTA Scotland’s Outstanding Contribution to Television award in 2024.
