Life In Brief
The television presenter and author Nick Sheridan has died after having a brain aneurysm. He was 32.
Gary Smith, the head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland, said: “Nick has been a wonderful colleague. He was a hugely talented journalist, presenter and author and one of those rare people who light up the lives of everyone around them.”
His friend and fellow presenter, Connor Gillies, said: “A uniquely talented broadcaster, writer and journalist but above all a throughout decent, funny, thoughtful pal who was great fun. An absolute pleasure knowing Nick. He thought of everyone before himself.”
Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, paid tribute to the Irish-born journalist in the Scottish Parliament chamber. He described him as an “extremely talented journalist and author”, adding: “He will be greatly missed. Many of us in this chamber will have been questioned by Nick – quite robustly no doubt – whether it was on BBC Drivetime or on many of the other programmes that he presented.”
Sheridan was born in Castlebridge, Co Wexford, the younger of two sons of Nick and Bernie Sheridan. He studied journalism at Dublin City University, and graduated in 2010.
His first job in the media was as a newsreader on the independent radio station Newstalk in the Irish capital. He was a researcher for Late Lunch Live on TV3 before moving to RTÉ News.
He spent two years reporting and presenting RTÉ’s News2day, the young person’s news programme for Ireland’s national broadcaster, before moving to the main newsroom, where he worked on the foreign affairs desk.
In 2017 he moved to Glasgow, where he became a camera journalist for STV, He joined the BBC as a broadcast journalist in 2018 and became a consumer affairs correspondent for BBC Scotland in 2020, and then a news presenter the following year. He had worked on Reporting Scotland, Drivetime,The Nine and Seven Days
Sheridan also lectured in journalism at the University of West Scotland, and was a media communications specialist, delivering media courses, presentation skills training, and communications skills training.
Sheridan had resigned from BBC Scotland’s staff at the time of his death but continued to work for the broadcaster as a freelance.
He built a new career writing for children and in 2021 announced he had signed a four-book deal with Simon and Schuster. He released several children’s stories including Breaking News: How to Tell What’s Real From What’s Rubbish (which he wrote to help children navigate modern media safely), The Case of the Phantom Treasure and The Case of the Runaway Train.
Sheridan had come out as gay when he was 16, saying he had “never been happier”, and was an advocate for gay youth and LGBT people. His parents and brother survive him, as does his partner, Lewis.
Born 30 October 1991 Died 7 March 2024 Veronica Lee