At university, Brazier studied English literature, being awarded a first, but rather than taking a commission as an infantry officer with the Green Howards regiment, he instead became a journalist at the Yorkshire Post. He latterly worked at The Observer.
Broadcasting career
Brazier worked at the BBC, then ITV. He joined Sky News in 1997. His postings at Sky have included politics, the Royal Family and several foreign postings, in addition to anchoring studio coverage. His industry awards include a gold medal from the New York TV awards, for his reporting from Afghanistan. The first British journalist to enter Iraq with coalition troops during the 2003 invasion, Brazier's documentary, Brothers in Baghdad, was later shortlisted at the 48th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. He was the first journalist to enter Southern Lebanon with Israeli forces in 2006. In 2009, Brazier conducted one of the final interviews given by the dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Brazier wrote an article for the New Statesman discussing his experiences of meeting the dictator at his compound in Libya. In 2014 he was Sky's sole nominee in the Royal Television Society Awards Presenter of the Year category for his work in Nairobi during the Westgate shopping mall attack and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. In 2015 he was long-listed in the RTS Awards Presenter of the Year category for his anchoring of the Tunisian terror attacks and the Nepal earthquake. In 2016 he won an International Emmy Award and was nominated for a BAFTA for his coverage of the European migrant crisis. The Emmy award judges specifically cited his live anchoring when rioting broke out on the Serbian/Hungarian border. He has made several appearances as a newsreader in movies, including The Bourne Legacy in 2012.
Controversies
In July 2014, following the destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, Brazier was filmed tampering with the contents of a victim's luggage. Widespread media criticism and calls for Brazier's resignation ensued. As of 21 July, 110 complaints about Brazier's behaviour had been submitted to Ofcom. In an article published in The Guardian on 22 July 2014, Brazier apologised, admitted that his actions were "a serious error of judgment".
Personal life
In 1999, Brazier married Joanna Roughton, at the time Reuters Asia editor and then Sky's head of foreign news until 2002, with whom he had 6 children. In 2017, Brazier and his family were featured on Sky News talking about Sky's Ocean Rescue campaign. Roughton passed away from breast cancer in July 2018, aged 55. Brazier is a practising Catholic, and has written articles for the Catholic Herald. Brazier has stated he is "ill at ease" with modern funeral traditions. A keen cricketer, Brazier is a member of the Lord's Taverners, a charity which aims to improve the fortunes of underprivileged young cricketers, and has played in fundraising matches for the organisation. He was once seen on-camera appearing to practise a cover drive. Brazier's 2013 book Sticking Up For Siblings, was based on his experiences as a father of six young children. The book, which encourages parents to reconsider the merits of larger families, was debated on the BBCToday programme, Radio 5 Live, ITV Daybreak and BBC Breakfast.
