Ashley Blake
| Ashley Blake | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 (age 47–48) Lozells, Birmingham, England |
| Nationality | British (of Surinamese descent) |
| Occupation | |
| Organization | BBC |
| Criminal charge | Unlawful wounding and perverting the course of justice |
| Criminal penalty | 2 years' prison |
| Criminal status | Home curfew |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Honorary doctorate, Staffordshire University |
| Website | www |
Ashley Blake (born 1969 in Lozells, Birmingham, England) is a former television presenter and newsreader. A well-known personality in the English Midlands, he worked mostly for the BBC, where his credits include reporting and presenting on Midlands Today, the region's edition of Inside Out, and briefly on the TV series Watchdog. In September 2009 he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment after being convicted of assault. He was released on 8 June 2010, after serving nine months of his sentence, as part of the home curfew system for early release.
Blake grew up in the Lozells area of Birmingham in a single-parent household. He is mixed-race, and is the youngest of six children.
Blake has one child.
After his mother died of cancer in 2000, he raised money for a cancer support charity.
Blake has had a career "from driving and renting out cars and trucks to working with young offenders in the care of social services in Birmingham." After spending almost three years as a flight attendant for Britannia Airways, followed by a postgraduate degree in journalism, Blake started working in Liverpool for L!VE TV, before moving to its sister station in Birmingham (UK).
In 2001, he moved to London where he worked as a reporter on Watchdog as well as both BBC London News and ITV's London Tonight. Blake produced various holiday reports and then worked on London Weekend Television's Dream Ticket programme. He had a short period of service as a presenter on National TV for BBC Breakfast, before he returned to his home city to become a presenter and reporter on the BBC's Midlands Today. During his time at Midlands Today, Blake worked as a regular reporter, while also presenting the Friday Evening Late News Bulletin and the weekly edition of Inside Out for the region. Blake also regularly filled in for Nick Owen as presenter of the main edition of Midlands Today, and had occasionally presented the BBC Breakfast editions in addition to presenting the Midlands regional segments of the BBC's annual Children in Need telethon with Shefali Oza and Sarah Falkland. Blake presented his last edition of Midlands Today on 23 January 2009, before being suspended following an incident at the New Oscott restaurant, The Place 2 B, which he co-owned with his partner, Jessica Hayes, from 2003 until February 2009. This incident eventually resulted in him being sacked by the BBC.
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