Robert Peston has spent much of his career asking questions about money, influence and the decisions that shape everyday life. Some viewers know him through political interviews on ITV. Others remember his BBC reports during the banking crisis, when financial news became a pressing concern for families across Britain.
His career reaches well beyond the television studio. He has worked for major newspapers, written books, moved into fiction and helped create opportunities for young people through charity work.
What connects these different roles is a lasting interest in how institutions work and who benefits from their decisions. From the Northern Rock crisis to conversations about the economy, Peston has built his public profile around explaining subjects that can seem difficult or distant.
Quick Bio
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Robert Peston |
| Date of Birth | 25 April 1960 |
| Age | 66 years old as of November 2026 |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Journalist, author and television presenter |
| Known For | Northern Rock exclusive and financial crisis reporting |
| Education | Highgate Wood Comprehensive School; Balliol College, Oxford; postgraduate study in Brussels |
| Father | Maurice Peston, economist and Labour life peer |
| Career Beginnings | Joined the Investors Chronicle in 1983 |
| Current Role | Political Editor at ITV News |
| Television Programme | Peston, originally launched as Peston on Sunday |
| Podcast | The Rest Is Money, co-hosted with Steph McGovern |
| Notable Books | Who Runs Britain?, WTF?, The Whistleblower and The Crash |
| Charity Work | Founded Speakers for Schools, now operating as Futures For All |
Who Is Robert Peston?
Robert Peston is an English journalist, author and presenter. He serves as Political Editor at ITV News, hosts the discussion program Peston and co-hosts The Rest Is Money with Steph McGovern.
Before joining ITV, he held senior business and economics roles at the BBC. His newspaper background includes the Financial Times, The Independent and The Sunday Telegraph.
Those different jobs help explain the range of his reporting. A political announcement might raise questions about public spending, while a business story might reveal something about government policy. His career has repeatedly brought those subjects together.
Early Life and Education
Born on 25 April 1960, Peston grew up in north London. His father, Maurice Peston, was an economist and later a Labor life peer. Economics was therefore part of his family background long before it became central to his professional life.
He attended Highgate Wood Comprehensive School and went on to Balliol College, Oxford. He also studied at the postgraduate level in Brussels.
A brief period working as a stockbroker followed. Although he did not remain in that profession, the experience introduced him to financial markets from inside the industry. Journalism eventually gave him a different way to investigate that world and explain it to others.
How Robert Peston Started in Journalism
Peston entered journalism at the Investors Chronicle in 1983. He then joined The Independent for its launch in 1986, building his experience as a financial reporter during an important period for the newspaper.
His career developed further at the Financial Times, where he worked through much of the 1990s. His responsibilities included banking coverage, political reporting and leading an investigations unit.
These roles required more than following daily announcements. Reporting on banks and government also meant understanding relationships, questioning explanations, and finding information not immediately available to the public.
He later held senior positions at The Sunday Telegraph before moving into broadcast journalism.
The Northern Rock Exclusive
Peston became the BBC’s Business Editor in 2006. In September 2007, he broke the news that Northern Rock was seeking emergency assistance from the Bank of England.
That report became a defining moment in his career. A story about a bank’s funding problems quickly raised much wider questions about confidence, savings and the strength of the financial system.
For the public, the subject was deeply personal. People who rarely followed business news wanted clear explanations of what was happening and what it could mean for their money.
Peston’s exclusive established him as a major figure in covering a crisis that would grow far beyond one British lender.
Reporting Through the Financial Crisis
As the 2008 financial crisis developed, Peston reported on the pressures facing banks, emergency interventions and the difficult choices confronting ministers.
The challenge was to explain events without losing the audience in technical language. Banking arrangements that once seemed remote were affecting jobs, borrowing and public finances.
His work helped bring those connections into the main news agenda. Business reporting had become essential to understanding the country’s immediate future.
He later became the BBC’s Economics Editor, extending his focus to broader economic developments. That role built on years of examining individual companies and the financial system around them.
Moving to ITV News
ITV announced Peston’s appointment as Political Editor in October 2015, and he began working in the role in early 2016.
Although the move gave him a different television platform, political journalism was already familiar territory. He previously served as Political Editor at the Financial Times.
His economics background offered a useful perspective on Westminster. Promises about services, taxes and investment raise questions about funding and priorities.
At ITV, his reporting and interviews examine those choices alongside the wider political debate. The work brings together experience gained in newsrooms covering both government and business.
The Story Behind His Program, Peston
His own ITV program began as Peston on Sunday in 2016. It provided a regular setting for interviews with political figures and discussions about major public issues.
In 2018, the program moved to a midweek evening slot and became Peston.
An interview program gives a presenter space to return to a point, challenge an explanation and explore the consequences of a proposal. That matters when a short political statement leaves important questions unanswered.
Peston’s delivery is also familiar to viewers. His pauses, emphasis and changing pace give his broadcasting a distinctive sound, developed over years of moving between reporting and live discussion.
The Rest Is Money with Steph McGovern
Peston also co-hosts The Rest Is Money, a podcast launched in 2023 with broadcaster Steph McGovern.
The program explores business and economic subjects through conversation. Its format lets the presenters spend more time on an idea than a short television report normally allows.
Topics such as technology, employment and the decisions businesses make have consequences beyond financial markets. They influence how people work, what they earn and what opportunities become available.
The podcast gives Peston another route to explain those connections, while the exchange between its hosts adds questions and different perspectives to the discussion.
Robert Peston’s Books and Fiction
Peston’s writing covers politics, wealth and the problems facing Britain. Who Runs Britain? examines the relationship between money and influence, while How Do We Fix This Mess? and WTF? explore wider economic and political questions.
He worked with Kishan Koria on Bust?. An updated edition appeared as How to Run Britain.
He has also written the thrillers The Whistleblower and The Crash. These novels move into fictional worlds shaped by journalism, politics and finance.
The shift into fiction gives him room to explore secrecy and ambition through characters and plots. Readers encounter settings connected to his professional interests through a different form of storytelling.
Charity Work and Family Life
Peston founded Speakers for Schools in 2010, aiming to connect young people in state education with influential speakers and insights into different careers.
The organization later expanded its work experience activities. In September 2025, it adopted the name Futures For All, while retaining the Speakers for Schools program.
His personal life has also included significant loss. His wife, writer and filmmaker Siân Busby, died from lung cancer in September 2012.
They had a son, Max, and Peston is also stepfather to Busby’s older son, Simon. These family experiences sit alongside a public career largely associated with demanding national stories.
Conclusion
Robert Peston has built a varied career through newspaper investigations, major broadcast reports, political interviews and books. His Northern Rock exclusive remains a key achievement, but it represents one part of a much longer working life.
Across his television reporting, podcast discussions and writing, the central questions remain closely connected how decisions are made, who holds influence, and how the consequences reach the public. Those questions continue to give his journalism a clear purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Robert Peston known for?
He is known for his political and financial journalism, particularly his Northern Rock exclusive and BBC financial crisis coverage. He also presents Peston on ITV.
2. How old is Robert Peston?
Robert Peston was born on 25 April 1960. He will turn 66 in November 2026.
3. Does Robert Peston still work for ITV?
He is ITV News’ Political Editor and presents the political discussion program Peston.
4. Who presents The Rest Is Money with Robert Peston?
He co-hosts the podcast with Steph McGovern. They discuss business, economics and issues affecting working life.
5. Has Robert Peston written novels?
Yes. His fiction includes The Whistleblower and The Crash, alongside his non-fiction books about politics and economics.
