Tim Sebastian is an award-winning English Journalist and broadcaster famous for his blunt questioning.
For his contribution to authentic TV shows, he was rewarded with the British Academy Award (BAFTA) in 1981.
Similarly, Sebastian received the prestigious “Interviewer of The Year” twice from the Royal Television Society.
Tim is currently hosting DW’s primary interview program, Conflict Zone.
Before this, Sebastian chaired debate series in the Middle East and Asia; he was also the original presenter of the BBC’s HARDtalk program.
He is a world-renowned Journalist with more than 40 years of experience.
This article provides information about Tim Sebastian’s early life, career, personal life, net worth, and many other facts.
Quick Facts
But before we go through the details, here are some quick facts about Tim.
| Full Name | Tim Sebastian |
| Common Name | Sebastian Tim |
| Date of Birth | March 13, 1952 |
| Place of Birth | London, England |
| Nickname | Hardtalk |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Father’s Name | Unknown |
| Mother’s Name | Unknown |
| Siblings | Unknown |
| Education | Westminster School |
| University |
|
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Age | 72 Years Old |
| Height | Unknown |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Grey |
| Build | Fit |
| Body Measurement | Unknown |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Diane Buscomble |
| Children | Three |
| Residence | USA |
| Profession | Journalist and Author |
| Active Professional Years | 1974-present |
| Affiliation | BBC |
| Shows | HARDtalk, The Doha Debates |
| Awards and Achievements |
|
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Salary | Unknown |
| Social Handle | Not Active |
| Last Update | November 2024 |
Early Life and Education
Sebastian was born in London in 1952. He is also a British citizen who is fluent in Russian and German.
He completed his education at Westminster School, a fee-paying independent school in Central London.
Also, Tim carries a BA Honours degree in modern languages from Oxford University.
Furthermore, he graduated in 1974 with a Diploma in Journalism Studies from Cardiff University.
At the beginning of his career, Sebastian worked as a foreign correspondent and covered the Solidarity revolution in Warsaw.
Later he became the correspondent for BBC Europe in 1982 and BBC Moscow in 1984. A year later, Tim was banned by Soviet officials and sent to Washington in 1989.
Age, Height, Weight, and Family
The famous Journalist is 72 years old, and his zodiac sign is Pisces.
Tim is a private person, although he spent most of his life in Television and Journalism field. Thus, we do not have much personal information about him and his family.
Also, there are no official records of Sebastian’s height and weight. But judging from the pictures, he might be 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs around 65kg.
Talking about their physical features, he is bald, but his natural hair is grey, and he has light brown eyes.
Sebastian has been married to Diana Buscombe since 1977. Tim married at 25, and the couple was blessed with three children.
Further information about his wife and children is not found anywhere.
Professional Career
Author
Sebastian is also a best-selling author. The Journalist has written eight novels and two non-fiction books.
Some of his novels are Spy in Question (1988), Saviour’s Gate (1991), The Memory Church (1993), Nice Promises Tim Sebastian in Poland (1985), and I Spy in Russia (1986).
In 2015, he was elected as a Fellow Commoner at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, to serve during 2015-2016.
Also, Sebastian has written widely for newspapers, including the Mall on Sunday, The Sunday Times, and the New York Times.
Hosting/Debate Moderator
Tim also conducts conferences and seminars. In addition, he has tons of experience hosting events and award ceremonies in his home country and abroad.
With a polite tone, sometimes aggressive (as per the situation), Tim finds ways to solve problems for which debate is organized.
Furthermore, Tim is the founder and chairman of the Qatar Foundation project, The Doha Debates.
The program was broadcast on BBC World News monthly from 2004 to 2012. It was recorded in the Gulf State of Qatar and was the highest-rated weekend program.
It covered a unique, unedited conference where the most controversial issues were discussed in the Islamic and Arab nations.
In addition, Sebastian also presented The Outsider Debates, which was recorded in India and aired on Bloomberg TV.
Interviewer/Journalist
Besides being the award-winning former BBC foreign newsman, Tim is the first presenter of the famous interview show HARDtalk.
HARDtalk is the daily half-hour interview program of BBC World, where Sebastian worked for more than seven years. He made a reputation as a solid interviewer through this program.
Sebastian’s memorable interviews were with U.S. President Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the last Leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and many others.
Not surprisingly, some guests even refused to come on the show. But a large number did, and the show ran for seven years.
Whenever Tim is asked about his unique way of asking questions, he describes it as challenging.
Journalism
Since most of the exciting things in life are not available on Google, the Journalist has to bring out the information from people’s heads.
Tim’s job was to extract hidden intentions from people’s minds sitting across the table, either in groups, gatherings, or alone.
Since the work is about human contact, it is always unpredictable.
Sebastian also mentioned that he didn’t have any social life outside when his shows ran.
Every day, he and his team have to interview experts on a particular subject to ask the essential questions to the guests.
So, the team had to be very clear about the zone where they wanted to challenge the views of netizens.
Thus, Tim and his research team used to go to experts before the show for the pre-interview of the subject/issue.
Awards
In 1982, Tim Sebastian won the “Richard Dimbleby Award” at BAFTA and was also given the title “Television Journalist of the Year” by the Royal Television Society.
Furthermore, in 2000 and 2001, Sebastian received the TRoyal Television Society’s “Interviewer of the Year” award.
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Net Worth
From multiple professions, Sebastian has earned hefty sums of wealth. Some of his books are bestsellers, and his TV shows always had high TRP.
According to some online sources, his net worth is around $5 million.
Similarly, according to some sources, the average salary of the news anchor is around $84,000.
When Tim was at the peak of his career, he had several sponsorship deals and endorsements under his belt.
Social Media Presence
Unfortunately, Sebastian is not active on any social media platform.
It is odd not to see the media personality on social media for some reason. But it is everyone’s personal choice.
Maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing his personal life out in public.
But his show Conflict Zone has official accounts on Twitter and Facebook.
(Note: The number of followers mentioned above is as of Jan 2022).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What was the origin career choice of Tim Sebastian?
Becoming a Journalist was not Sebastian’s first choice. Initially, he wanted to become a Veterinarian. But he was not good in Maths and Science and eventually chose journalism.
Is learning a new language Tim Sebastian’s hobby?
Sebastian is curious about literature and also fond of learning new things. That’s why he started teaching languages like Russian, German, and French.
What happened to Tim Sebastian?
The famous Journalist and novelist Tim is currently hosting the show Conflict Zone. The show is broadcast on the Deutsche Welle.
