Peter Snow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Snow
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Peter John Snow
20 April 1938 Dublin, Ireland
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| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
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| Years active | 1962-present |
| Known for | Swingometer |
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| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 6; including Dan |
Peter John Snow is a famous British TV and radio presenter and a historian. He was born on April 20, 1938. For many years, from 1969 to 2005, he helped explain the results of general elections, first on ITV and then on the BBC. He also presented a well-known news show called Newsnight for a long time. He has made many documentaries, some with his son, Dan Snow.
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Early Life and Family
Peter Snow was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father was John FitzGerald Snow. Peter is related to many interesting people. His grandfather, Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow, was a general in the First World War. He is also the cousin of another famous journalist, Jon Snow. Peter is the father of TV presenter Dan Snow.
When he was young, Peter lived for a while in Benghazi, Libya, because his father was working there.
Education and Early Career
Peter went to Wellington College, a school in Berkshire, England. Later, he studied at Balliol College, Oxford, a famous university. Before starting his career, he did two years of National Service (military training) in the army.
In 1962, Peter Snow started working for Independent Television News (ITN). He was a foreign correspondent, which means he reported from different countries. He also reported on defence and diplomatic news. He sometimes read the news too.
A Career in Broadcasting
Peter became very well known when he joined the BBC in 1979. He was chosen to be the main presenter for a new in-depth news show called Newsnight. This show started in January 1980. He worked on Newsnight until 1997. After that, he presented other popular shows like Tomorrow's World, which looked at new inventions, and radio quizzes like Brain of Britain. In 1998, he won an award for his great work in broadcasting.
Explaining Elections and Wars
Peter Snow was famous for his role in explaining general election results. He did this for ITV and then for the BBC. He was especially known for using the "Swingometer". This was a special graphic that showed how votes were changing across the country. He often used props and visual aids to make complex information easy to understand.
For example, during the Falklands War in 1982 and the Gulf War in 1991, he used a sandpit to show how battles were progressing. He even used his election analysis skills to predict the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, though his predictions didn't quite come true!
Working with His Son, Dan
Peter Snow has worked on many projects with his son, Dan Snow. In 2002, they presented 'Battleplan: El Alamein' for the BBC. Then, in 2004, they made an eight-part series called Battlefield Britain. This show explored famous battles that happened in Britain, from ancient times to the Battle of Britain. They also made 20th Century Battlefields, which covered battles from around the world.
They also presented other shows together, like "Whose Britain is it anyway?" and "What makes Britain rich?". They even made history series for BBC Radio Four about famous historical figures like the Black Prince.
Later Career and Hobbies
In 2005, Peter Snow announced he would stop working on election broadcasts. He felt he would be too old to "dance around in front of huge graphic displays" at the next election. He continued to present other shows, including "Pompeii Live" and "Brits who Made the Modern World". In 2008, he shared that he earned about £100,000 a year.
In 2009, he helped with special ITV programmes about the 40th anniversary of the Moon landings. More recently, in 2016, he presented Trainspotting Live, a TV series about trains and trainspotting. In 2019, he presented Planespotting Live.
Peter Snow was given the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006 for his services to broadcasting. One of his hobbies is model railways. He has a large model train set in his home.
Books by Peter Snow
Besides his TV and radio work, Peter Snow has written several books. Some of these were written with his son, Dan.
- In 1970, he wrote "Leila’s Hijack War," about a real-life international crisis.
- In 1972, he wrote a biography of King Hussein of Jordan.
- In 2010, he published "To War with Wellington," which tells the story of the Duke of Wellington's military campaigns.
- In 2013, he wrote "When Britain burned the White House," about the British invasion of Washington in 1814.
- With his son Dan, he wrote "The Battle of Waterloo Experience" in 2015, for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
- They also wrote "Treasures of British History" in 2016, which looks at important historical documents.
- With his wife, Ann MacMillan, Peter wrote "War Stories" in 2017 and "Treasures of World History" in 2020.
- In 2022, Peter and Ann wrote "Kings and Queens," about the lives of English monarchs.
Personal Life
Peter Snow has been married twice and has six children. His first marriage was to Alison Carter, and they had two children. Later, in 1976, he married Ann MacMillan. They have three children, including his famous son, Dan Snow. His wife and sister-in-law are also related to a former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George.
