Rory Reid (born 12-10-1979) is an award-winning British journalist and broadcaster from London, England. Rory is a host of BBC Top Gear as well as spin-off show Extra Gear, and is a contributing editor to Top Gear magazine. He is also a regular contributor to BBC's The One Show.

Rory grew up in South Norwood, London, where his passion for cars blossomed as a teenager. After passing his driving test, he set about buying a variety of cheap cars, regularly modifying them to improve their performance and looks. Rory was a keen follower of the modified car scene, as documented by the likes of Max Power magazine.

Despite his love for cars, Rory keenly followed his other passions, technology and writing. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from the university of North London (London Metropolitan university) and began a career in journalism at the age of 20. Rory went on to work for various technology and automotive publications including Personal Computer World Magazine and CNET.com, where he worked as a senior editor, launching the company's automotive offerings in the UK. 

Rory has contributed to the BBC, Telegraph, Bloomberg, CBS, Sky, and many others.

TOP GEAR INVOLVEMENT

Rory was chosen for his role on Top Gear after submitting a 30-second audition tape to the BBC. With all other members of the Top Gear team being hand-picked by production staff, Reid stands proud as the the only member of the team to be picked from an open audition process, beating tens of thousands of hopefuls in the process.

Rory quickly secured a role as lead presenter of Top Gear's first ever spin-off show, Extra Gear, starring alongside fellow presenter Chris Harris. He made his first appearance on the main Top Gear show in episode three of series 23 and has appeared in every subsequent episode.

The One Show

Rory is a regular contributor to The One Show, a daily magazine show on BBC One, that takes a look at topical stories around Britain. Rory reports on technology and automotive issues, topics close to his heart. 

Other TV and Radio

Rory was a weekly contributor to the BBC Radio 5 Live show Saturday Edition, presented the Gadget Geeks series on Sky 1, and has made numerous other radio and television appearances including How We Changed The World and World's Most Dangerous Roads on the Discovery Channel, The One Show on BBC One and more.

Awards

Rory helped CNET win a prestigious Association of Online Publishers award for Best Use of Video for his Car Tech video series. The judges said: "A combination of high production values, enthusiasm and expertise worked seamlessly together, using video to really bring out the personality of the site's writers. Original, fun and high-quality content, Car Tech is relevant to its audience, with a clear commercial underpinning."

CAREER

  • Gameswire.com, Features Editor

  • Personal Computer World Magazine, Staff Writer

  • CNET.com, Editor, Cars & Computing

  • BBC Radio 5 Live Saturday Edition, Contributor

  • Recombu.com, Editor in Chief

  • Gadget Geeks, Presenter

  • Top Gear, Presenter

  • Top Gear: Extra Gear, Presenter

  • The One Show, Presenter