Gavin Esler

Gavin Esler
Born	(1953-02-27) 27 February 1953 Glasgow
Nationality	Scottish
Education	University of Kent, University of Leeds
Occupation(s)	Journalist, presenter
Employer	BBC

Gavin Esler (born 27 February 1953) is a British author and BBC television presenter, of Scottish ethnicity, currently one of the four main presenters on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight and the deputy presenter of BBC News at Five.

Education

Born in Glasgow, Esler was educated at the independent George Heriot's School, Edinburgh. He gained a BA in English and American literature from the University of Kent and a MA in Anglo-Irish literature with distinction from the University of Leeds. He entered journalism via the Belfast Telegraph and has two honorary degrees, including a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Career

Esler joined the BBC in 1977 as a Northern Ireland reporter, and extended his role after joining Newsnight in 1982. Esler was then appointed Washington correspondent and later chief North America correspondent for the BBC, in charge of shaping coverage across the whole continent for the corporation, and covering both the earlier George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations. His report on the military build up in the Aleutian islands as part of the Reagan administration's New Maritime Strategy earned him a Royal Television Society award.

Esler's reporting extended further across the globe, and he has reported for news and documentary programmes across Europe, Russia, China, and North and South America. In 2007 he won a Sony Gold Award for his radio documentary report on Sami al-Hajj, one of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Following the broadcast al Hajj was released from American custody.

Esler combined reporting with presenting from the mid 1980s on BBC One's regional news programme for London and the South East of England - Newsroom South East. He then joined BBC News (then known as "BBC News 24") from its outset, presenting its primetime slot with Sian Williams for several years.

In January 2003 he joined Newsnight, replacing Jeremy Vine, who had left to take over from Sir Jimmy Young on Radio 2. During his career Esler has interviewed heads of state including Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac and King Abdullah of Jordan. He has also interviewed a wide range of cultural figures including Dolly Parton, Doris Lessing, Penélope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, V. S. Naipaul, Roger Waters, Vikram Seth and Seamus Heaney.

Esler also presents Dateline London on BBC News and BBC World News most Sunday mornings at 11am. He also the Deputy presenter of the BBC News at Five O'Clock on the BBC News channel on Fridays and when Huw Edwards is away. Esler has also hosted Radio 4 factual series, Four Corners along with fellow Scottish broadcaster, Anne MacKenzie.

Esler is the author of five novels - Loyalties, Deep Blue, The Blood Brother, A Scandalous Man, and Power Play. A Scandalous Man was described by fellow author Bernard Cornwell as "a compelling book, its political sophistication made luminous with wisdom sympathy and story telling." Other reviewers were equally complimentary. His fifth novel, Powerplay, was published by HarperCollins in August 2009. Esler has also written a book on American discontent, The United States of Anger, published in October 1997 (Penguin). For several years he wrote regular columns for The Scotsman, The Independent and other publications.

George Galloway and Hillary Clinton

In 2005 Gavin Esler interviewed George Galloway on Newsnight regarding the London bombings. The BBC was reported to have received hundreds of complaints about Esler's interview. The criticism was that Gavin Esler's questioning was "rude and aggressive". However, Peter Barron, editor of Newsnight, defended Esler's questioning of Galloway's tactics: "...I accept entirely that while Mr Galloway's views run counter to those expressed by mainstream politicians they are views that may be held quite widely across the country and perhaps particularly in parts of London such as Mr Galloway's constituency. The thrust of Gavin's questioning was to ask if it was wise to express these provocative views - effectively "I told you so" - at a time when many politicians and Muslim leaders had been appealing for calm. I believe that was a fair and appropriate line of questioning."

In 2007 a BBC publication investigating into impartiality in the organisation criticised an unnamed BBC news presenter for writing an article in the Daily Mirror newspaper headlined "Why the World Needs Hillary", stating they had been "unwise" for doing so. The headline appeared to endorse Hillary Clinton to be the next US President. The newsreader in question was Esler, although the offending headline was inserted by the Daily Mirror sub-editors without his knowledge.

Personal life

In 2007 Esler separated from his wife of 28 years, Patricia Warner, who lives in the family home with their two children. In late 2008 Esler began living in a townhouse in west London, with rock violinist Anna Phoebe.

His hobbies include camping, hiking and skiing.

External links

• Gavin Esler BBC Profile