Ed Leigh facts for kids

Ed Leigh (born on July 15, 1975) is a British sports presenter and commentator. He is well-known for his exciting commentary on action and adventure sports. Ed helps bring the thrill of events like snowboarding, skateboarding, and mountain biking to viewers.

What Does Ed Leigh Do?

Ed Leigh is a familiar voice and face in the world of sports broadcasting. He is part of the team for the BBC2 show Ski Sunday, where he talks about winter sports. He also works a lot with Red Bull TV, covering many live events. These events include skateboarding, BMX, and mountain biking.

You might know Ed best as the voice of action sports for the BBC at the Olympic Games. He has been commentating on the Winter Olympics since 2006. He also started covering events at the Summer Olympics in 2012.

How Did Ed Start in TV?

Ed's first regular TV job was on Channel 4's Freesports On 4. This show won an award from the Royal Television Society. On the show, Ed traveled the world covering different action sports events. Over time, he worked on many different types of shows. These included Ed vs. Spencer for Sky 1 and My Life As An Animal for BBC3.

Before his TV career, Ed was the editor of Whitelines Snowboard Magazine. His first TV presenting job was on a show called Trailer Park. This show was on the CNX channel, and he presented it with Christian Stevenson.

Ed also did voice-overs for the Extreme Sports Channel's Gumball 3000 series in 2004. The Gumball 3000 is a famous car rally. In 2005 and 2006, he followed the rally as a presenter.

Famous Moments in Commentary

In 2007, Ed became a co-presenter of the BBC's Ski Sunday series. He joined Graham Bell on the show. Ed's commentary at the 2006 Winter Olympics helped make snowboarding exciting for viewers. He became famous for his memorable shout, "Drama! Jacobellis is down!" This happened during the Women's Snowcross Final. He has continued to commentate on snowboarding at all the Winter Olympics since then.

Ed also presented a show called High Altitude. This was a spin-off from Ski Sunday and ran in the winter of 2009 on BBC2. He presented it with Graham Bell.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ed commentated on Beach Volleyball for the BBC. He also covered the BMX cycling event.

In 2021, while in Laax, Ed had an accident. He dislocated his kneecap and broke his tibia (a bone in his lower leg).

What Else Has Ed Done?

In spring 2009, Ed appeared on a show called My Life as an Animal. This show was on BBC Three. For the show, Ed lived with dogs for a week to see what it was like.

Ed's Life Before TV

Before he became a TV presenter, Ed had many different jobs. He was a professional snowboarder and a journalist. He also managed events, cleaned large yachts, and taught windsurfing.

From Snowboarding to Magazine Editor

Ed started his snowboarding journey working at a snowboard shop called Noahs Ark. He spent five years snowboarding in the resort of Val d'Isère. Then, a knee injury forced him to take a break. During this time, he was offered a job at White Lines snowboarding magazine. He had already been writing for the magazine sometimes. Just six months later, he became the editor of the magazine. This job opened up many new chances for him in the media world.