Robert Peston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Robert Peston
Peston in February 2014
Born	(1960-04-25) 25 April 1960 (age 65)
Education	Balliol College, Oxford Université Libre de Bruxelles
Occupation	Journalist presenter author
Spouse(s)	Siân Busby ​ ​ (m. 1998; died 2012)​
Children	1
Relatives	Maurice Peston (father)

Robert James Kenneth Peston was born on April 25, 1960. He is a well-known English journalist, TV presenter, and author. He works as the Political Editor for ITV News. He also hosts a weekly TV show called Peston, which talks about politics. He hosts it with ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana.

Before joining ITV, Robert Peston was the Business Editor for BBC News from 2006 to 2014. He then became their Economics Editor until 2015. Many people started to know him when he reported on the big financial problems that happened between 2007 and 2008. He shared important news about the Northern Rock bank crisis. He also started a charity called Speakers for Schools, which helps students.

Early Life and Education

Robert Peston was born on April 25, 1960. His father, Maurice Peston, Baron Peston, was an economist and a member of the House of Lords (a part of the UK Parliament). Robert went to Highgate Wood Secondary School in London. He later studied philosophy, politics and economics at Balliol College, Oxford. He also studied at the Université libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.

Journalism Career Highlights

Peston with a film crew at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

Robert Peston started his career as a journalist in 1983 at the Investors Chronicle. He then worked for The Independent newspaper when it first started in 1986. He also worked for the Financial Times from 1991 to 2000. There, he was the Political Editor and also led a special investigations team.

In 2005, Robert Peston became the Business Editor for BBC News. This meant he was in charge of reporting on business and money news for the BBC's TV, radio, and online platforms.

During the financial crisis of 2007-2008, Peston became very famous for his reporting. He often shared important news first, like when he reported about the merger talks between HBOS and Lloyds TSB. His reports were very important during this difficult time for banks.

In 2010, Peston started Speakers for Schools. This charity helps state schools get free talks from famous people in business, politics, media, and other fields.

In 2013, he became the Economics Editor for BBC News. Then, in 2015, he announced he would leave the BBC to join ITV News as their Political Editor. He started at ITV in January 2016.

At ITV, he continued to break big stories. For example, in 2016, he interviewed Prime Minister David Cameron. In this interview, Cameron admitted he had profited from his father's offshore trust, which was revealed in the Panama Papers.

He also started presenting Peston on Sunday, a weekly political discussion show on ITV. In 2018, the show moved to Wednesday nights and was renamed Peston.

Awards and Recognition

Peston reporting for the BBC, 2009

Robert Peston has won many awards for his journalism. Some of these include:

• The Harold Wincott Senior Financial Journalist of the Year Award in 2005.
• The London Press Club's Scoop of the Year Award in 2005.
• The Royal Television Society's "Specialist Journalist of the Year" and "Television Journalist of the Year" in 2008/09 for his reporting on the financial crisis.
• His exclusive news about Northern Rock asking for emergency help won the Royal Television Society's "Scoop of the Year" in 2007/08.

He has also received honorary degrees from universities, including Heriot-Watt University in 2010 and Aberystwyth University in 2011.

Speaking Style

Robert Peston's way of speaking on TV and radio has been noticed by many. Some people have described his voice as "raggedy" or "strangulated." He has admitted that he is "still not as polished as some" other presenters. His unique style has even been copied by impressionists like Rory Bremner.

Books Written by Robert Peston

Robert Peston is also an author. He has written several books, mostly about politics and economics:

• Brown's Britain (2005): This book is about the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his rivalry with Tony Blair.
• Who Runs Britain? How the Super-Rich are Changing our Lives (2008): This book looks at how wealthy people influence Britain.
• How Do We Fix This Mess? The Economic Price of Having it All and the Route to Lasting Prosperity (2012): This book discusses economic problems and how to solve them.
• Whistleblower (2021): This is his first novel, a fictional story about a political reporter during the 1997 UK general election.
• How To Run Britain: Therapy For A Traumatised Nation (2024): He co-wrote this book with Kishan Koria.

Personal Life

Peston in June 2007

Robert Peston married writer Siân Busby in 1998, and they had a son named Maximilian. Siân sadly passed away in 2012 from lung cancer. Robert also became a stepfather to Siân's son from her previous marriage. In 2018, he shared that he was in a relationship with author and journalist Charlotte Edwardes.

He lives in the Muswell Hill area of London.

Robert Peston is also part of a band called Centrist Dad. He is the singer, with John Wilson on bass guitar and Ed Balls on drums.

He grew up in a non-religious Jewish family and sees himself as culturally Jewish rather than religious.

TV Appearances

Style and Titles

• Robert James Kenneth Peston (1960–87)
• The Honourable Robert James Kenneth Peston (since 1987) (He is entitled to this title because his father was a Baron, but he chooses not to use it.)

See also

• Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom#Courtesy prefix of "The Honourable"