Bafta's highest honour for Sunderland's Kate Adie

She will be awarded this year's Bafta Fellowship, following in the footsteps of Sir David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Sir Bruce Forsyth.

The fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by Bafta on an individual for their work in film, TV or games across their career.

Bafta chairwoman Jane Lush said the broadcast journalist, who reported from danger zones and conflicts around the globe, was a 'true trailblazer'.

"Kate Adie is a truly groundbreaking news journalist, being one of a very small number of women working to report the news from hostile environments around the world," she said.

"Throughout her career, she has brought audiences to the centre of the story by fearlessly reporting from the ground whilst clearly and concisely explaining the complex issues to audiences at home."

Kae Adie's foster-father had a chemist's shop in Southwick where she worked on Saturdays. She was a pupil at Sunderland Church High School and graduated from Sunderland University in the 1960s.

Her career began with reporting for Radio Durham and she went on to hold the post of chief news correspondent for the BBC for 14 years from 1988.

"It's lovely to be awarded the Bafta Fellowship," she said.

"I feel very honoured."

The journalist has covered Tiananmen Square, war in the Balkans and both Gulf wars and is the presenter of Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent.

Other previous recipients of the fellowship for their work in TV include Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Jon Snow, Melvyn Bragg, Michael Palin, Sir Trevor McDonald and Dame Julie Walters.

Kate will be honoured with the fellowship at the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards in London, hosted by Sue Perkins, on May 13.