Edward Stourton (journalist)

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For other persons named Edward Stourton, see Edward Stourton (disambiguation).

Edward John Ivo Stourton (born November 24, 1957, Lagos, Nigeria) is a BBC presenter of the morning flagship Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is a former president of the Cambridge Union Society.

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[edit] Early life

Stourton was at school at Ampleforth College becoming Head Boy, then went on to study English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge gaining a 2.1. He edited the student magazine, Rampage.

[edit] Broadcasting

He started at ITN in 1979 as a graduate trainee. While there he was a founder member of Channel 4 News in 1982 working predominantly as a scriptwriter but also as a producer, duty home news editor and chief sub-editor. Stourton joined the BBC in 1988 as a Paris correspondent. He returned to ITN as a diplomatic editor in 1990. In 1993, he was back at the BBC as the presenter of BBC One O'Clock News for six years. He presented editions of Assignment, Correspondent, Panorama and Call Ed Stourton, a phone-in programme on Radio 4.

He has made a number of current affairs programmes for Radio 4 including Asia Gold and Global Shakeout, The Violence Files, With us or against us, United Nations - or Not?. Asia Gold was the winner of the Sony Sony Radio Gold Award for current affairs in 1997. Stourton presented a four-part series about the Catholic Church, entitled Absolute Truth. It was broadcast on BBC2 in 1997. He also wrote a book to accompany the series.

[edit] Today programme

In January 1999, he joined the "Today programme" presentation team. On 27 December 2006 he appeared on the celebrity charitable edition of BBC One's "Mastermind", chaired by his BBC Radio 4 "Today" co-presenter John Humphrys. When asked his name, Stourton replied: "John, why do you need to ask that - we almost sleep together!" His specialist subject was Pope John Paul II on which he scored 17 points, for a total of 28 points after general knowledge to win his heat.

[edit] Religious programmes

Stourton now regularly presents Sunday, Radio 4's religious and ethical news programme. His latest series, "A Year in the Arab Israeli Crisis" is currently being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

In 2001, he won the Amnesty Award for best television documentary.

[edit] Personal life

Stourton is a descendant of the 19th Baron Stourton and in very distant remainder to this barony presently held by his cousin Edward Stourton, 27th Baron Mowbray. He is the son of Nigel Stourton OBE, who worked for British American Tobacco, and Rosemary Abbott, being brought up near Patrick Brompton. He first married Margaret McEwen in 1980 in Kensington, the daughter of Sir James Napier Finnie McEwen, a Baronet. He married Fiona Murch on November 8 2002 at Chelsea Register Office. She was an editor for BBC2 (producing the Correspondent programme, in which Edward featured, although he left the programme) with whom he lived with from 2001. They live in Balham. He is a Roman Catholic[1] and has an extensive knowledge of the Catholic faith.

Stourton's Eton/Cambridge educated son Ivo James Benedict, born 1982, has recently published his first book: a fiction novel entitled "The Night Climbers" (Doubleday 2007). His other two children are Thomas Edward Alexander (born 1987, and went to Eton) and Eleanor Mary Elizabeth (born June 1984). He has a stepdaughter, Rosemary.

[edit] Publications

[edit] External links

[edit] Video clips

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Technically, I suppose, I'm a sinner" The Daily Telegraph, 2004-05-27