Gavin Esler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gavin Esler
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Esler in 2013
|
|
| Born |
Gavin William James Esler
27 February 1953 Glasgow, Scotland
|
| Nationality | British |
| Education | George Heriot's School |
| Alma mater |
|
| Occupation |
|
| Employer | BBC News (1977–2018) |
|
Notable credit(s)
|
|
| Political party | Change UK (2019) Independent (2019–present) |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Warner
(m. 1979; div. 2010)Anna Phoebe
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 4 |
Gavin William James Esler (born 27 February 1953) is a Scottish journalist, TV presenter, and author. He is well-known for his work at the BBC. From 2003 to 2014, he was a main presenter on Newsnight, a popular political show on BBC Two. He also presented BBC News at Five on the BBC News Channel.
Since 2014, Gavin Esler has been the Chancellor of the University of Kent. He left the BBC in 2017 to focus on writing. However, he later returned to host Talking Books. In 2019, he ran as a candidate for the Change UK party in the European Parliament election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gavin Esler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on February 27, 1953. He was the first son of a building company manager. When he was a baby, he had a serious health issue that needed surgery. His family lived in Clydebank before moving to Edinburgh.
In Edinburgh, he started school at Duddingston Primary. At age seven, he won a scholarship to George Heriot's School. His childhood in Scotland had a big impact on him. Even when his parents moved to Northern Ireland, he stayed in Edinburgh.
Gavin was the first in his family to go to university. He studied English and American literature at the University of Kent. He graduated in 1974. While there, he wrote for the university newspaper, Incant. Later, he earned a master's degree in Anglo-Irish literature from the University of Leeds.
Journalism Career
Gavin Esler started his career as a journalist in 1976. He was 23 years old and worked as a junior reporter for the Belfast Telegraph.
In 1977, he joined the BBC as a reporter in Northern Ireland. He then joined Newsnight in 1982. In 1989, he became the BBC's correspondent in Washington. A year later, he became the chief North America correspondent. This meant he was in charge of the BBC's news coverage across North America. He reported on the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Esler has also reported from many other places, including Europe, Russia, China, and South America.
From the mid-1980s, Esler also started presenting. He worked on Newsroom South East, a regional news program for London. In 1997, he became an anchor for the BBC News channel. He co-presented its main evening slot for several years.
In January 2003, he joined Newsnight as a main presenter. During his career, Esler has interviewed many important people. These include leaders like Bill Clinton and King Abdullah II of Jordan. He has also spoken with famous artists and writers, such as Dolly Parton, Angelina Jolie, and Seamus Heaney. He left Newsnight in January 2014.
In 2007, a BBC report said that one of their news presenters had been "unwise." This was because the presenter wrote an article that seemed to support Hillary Clinton for US President. It turned out to be Gavin Esler. The report said this could make it hard for him to interview American politicians fairly.
.jpg)
Until 2017, Esler was the main presenter of Dateline London. This show aired on BBC News and BBC World News. From 2008 to 2017, he also presented BBC News at Five on Fridays. He co-presented The Film Review with Mark Kermode.
On March 11, 2017, Esler announced he was leaving the BBC. He wanted to focus on his writing. He presented his final BBC News at Five and Film Review on March 31, 2017. Later that year, he returned to the BBC to host Talking Books.
Since 2021, Esler has been a regular presenter for The Bunker podcast. In 2023, he started presenting his own podcast, This Is Not A Drill.
Literary Career
Gavin Esler is a successful author. He has written five novels and four non-fiction books. His novel A Scandalous Man was praised by author Bernard Cornwell. Esler's fifth novel, Powerplay, was published in 2009.
His first non-fiction book, The United States of Anger, came out in 1997. It explored how Americans felt about their country. The New Statesman newspaper called it a "vivid portrait of America in the 1990s." For several years, he also wrote articles for newspapers like The Scotsman and The Independent.
Esler's most recent book is How Britain Ends - English Nationalism and the Re-birth of Four Nations. It was published in February 2021. In this book, Esler suggests that a growing English nationalism is causing problems for the United Kingdom.
Political Involvement
In August 2018, Gavin Esler spoke at a rally for the People's Vote campaign in Edinburgh. This group wanted a public vote on the final Brexit deal. On April 23, 2019, he was announced as a candidate for the Change UK party. He ran in London for the May 2019 European Parliament election.
The Change UK party wanted to stop Brexit and have a second vote on joining the EU. The party did not win any seats in the election. In London, they received 5.3% of the vote.
In an interview in May 2019, Esler said he wanted to "stop Brexit" and "fix Britain." He also wanted to "reform the things that are wrong with the EU."
In August 2021, it was announced that Esler would be on BBC's Celebrity MasterChef. He left the competition after a quarter-final round.
Personal Life
Gavin Esler is married to rock violinist Anna Phoebe. They married in 2012 and have two children together. This is his second marriage. His first marriage was to Patricia Warner in 1979. They had two children and divorced in 2010.
Esler enjoys camping, hiking, and skiing. He is a big fan of progressive rock music. Some of his favorite bands include King Crimson and Pink Floyd. He hosted the Prog magazine's Progressive Music Awards for three years in a row.
Awards and Recognition
Gavin Esler has received several awards for his work. His report on the military build-up in the Aleutian Islands won him a Royal Television Society award.
In 2007, he won a Sony Gold Award. This was for his radio documentary called Letters from Guantanamo. The documentary was about Sami al-Hajj, a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. After the broadcast, al-Hajj was released.
The University of Kent has given Esler two honorary degrees. He received an honorary MA in 1995 and an honorary Doctorate in Civil Law in 2005. In July 2014, he became the sixth Chancellor of the university.
Images for kids
-
Esler in 2013
