The Sir David Nicholas Memorial Lecture returns in 2026 with a talk from one of the most influential figures in broadcast journalism.
This year’s lecture will be delivered by Deborah Turness, former CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, CEO of ITN, President of NBC News, and Editor of ITV News.
At the BBC, she led the 6,000-strong news division, overseeing major organisational change, including implementing a digital and AI strategy, expanding social media journalism, and launching BBC Verify. She was also a member of the BBC Board and the Director General’s Executive Leadership Group.
At the event, Deborah will be introduced by the ITV News presenter Mary Nightingale.
The annual Sir David Nicholas Memorial Lecture is held in memory of Sir David, former Editor of ITN and one of the pioneers of television news. The plan each year is to invite a senior industry leader to reflect on the past, present, and future of broadcast journalism.
Tuesday 12 May 2026
Doors open: 6:00pm
Lecture starts: 6:30pm prompt
44 Hallam Street
London, W1W 6JJ
Nearest tube stations: Oxford Circus and Great Portland Street
Organisers
This year’s Sir David Nicholas Memorial Lecture is being organised by the ITN 1955 Club in partnership with the Broadcasting Journalism Training Council (BJTC) and the Media Society.
The ITN 1955 Club is for people who have worked at ITN. It is independent of ITN, and relies entirely on member subscriptions and donations. The Club is named after the year that ITN was founded and first went on air.
The Media Society is a British charity that organises events that discuss and debate important and topical media issues.
TheBroadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) brings together multimedia broadcast employers and accredited training courses to ensure students are taught professional, industry standard journalism skills.
The Sir David Nicholas Lecture Committee selects the annual speaker. It’s currently made up of Nigel Dacre (Chair and founder), Alex Kingston (Chair, ITN 1955 Club), Patrick O’Ryan-Roeder (Deputy Chair, ITN 1955 Club), Jon Godel (CEO, BJTC), Duncan Jones, Sandra Kiely, James Nicholas and Richard Tait.