Ed Draper

Ed Draper is Absolute Radio's breakfast sport presenter.

Ed started kicking a football around his back garden aged 11 months and became hooked on sport,

Seventeen more years of sport and a growing interest in writing and talking led to a degree and in English Lit and Sports Science at Loughborough University. At L’boro, Ed wrote sport reports for the student magazine in addition to playing football for the seconds and coaching the fifth team.

Ed then enrolled at Ohio University in America’s Midwest for a Master’s in broadcast journalism. Outside of his studies at OU, Ed did TV presenting and radio commentary for all of the American sports as well as English football.

Ed also spent time as a local newspaper’s Sports editor (The Logan Daily News) before returning to work as a sports and news reporter/producer for BBC Hereford and Worcester in the summer of 2005. More radio and TV work followed and Ed also commentated on basketball at the Asian Games 2006 in Qatar. Then, in January 2008 Absolute Radio approached Ed and asked if he’d like to present the sport on the Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show. He said ‘yes’ and has been there ever since. In addition to the show, Ed produces and co-presents a daily sports podcast with Russ Williams.

Away from Absolute, Ed has been presenting broadband TV for Sky Sports since 2007, fronting sky sports news bulletins, football chat shows, special video podcasts on golf and cricket and a wicked new pan-sports show: Sports Xtra.

Ed’s met and interviewed loads of sporting Gods including John Terry (who Ed found to be quite nice), Frank Lampard (who Ed found to have big thighs), Lewis Hamilton (who Ed found to be quite small), Joe Calzaghe (who Ed found to look like Ryan Giggs), Ricky Hatton (who Ed found to be quite small and quite nice) and Martin Jol (who impressed Ed with his masculine voice). Ed’s best interview experience though was talking to Jenson Button while he span around Blue Water Shopping Centre at 100MPH in a saloon car. Away from sport, Ed played a doctor (for 20 seconds) in an Asian health awareness film Dil Ki Baatein and realized he can’t act.

As for hobbies, Ed likes playing sports, reading and watching films – mostly of the comedy variety with Anchorman the benchmark. Ed is married to Carla and is very grateful for it.