A Scandalous Man

Gavin Esler

Gavin Esler was born in Glasgow, February 27, 1953. Gavin Esler is currently one of the five main presenters on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight. He joined the programme in January 2003. Esler also presents Dateline London most Sunday mornings at 11am on BBC News 24. The programme is also broadcast on BBC World. Esler also hosts Radio 4 factual series, Four Corners along with fellow Scottish broadcaster, Anne MacKenzie. Recently he has begun to present the Five O'Clock News with Huw Edwards on News 24 when Edwards is away.

Educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, Esler gained a BA in English and American literature from the University of Kent and a further MA in Anglo-Irish literature from the University of Leeds in 1975. He first entered journalism on the Belfast Telegraph in 1976.

Esler joined the BBC in 1977 as Northern Ireland reporter, and extended his role upon joining Newsnight in 1982. Esler was then made 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.

Esler also spent several years during the mid 1980s as presenter of BBC One's regional news programme for London and the South East of England - Newsroom South East.

He shaped and directed coverage for the BBC's rolling news service BBC News 24 on the Clinton/Lewinsky scandals. 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 award.

Esler's journalistic credentials extend further across the globe, however: he has reported for news and documentary programmes across Europe, Russia, China and North and South America. He writes a regular column for The Scotsman, The Independent and other publications.

He is married with two children and his hobbies include camping, hiking and skiing.