Edward Stourton

Edward John Ivo Stourton (24 November 1957 – 18 July 2026) was a British broadcaster and journalist. He presented the BBC Radio 4 current affairs programmes Today, Sunday, The World at One and The World This Weekend. Earlier in his career, he worked in television as a founding staff member of Channel 4 News, a BBC Paris correspondent and a BBC One O'Clock News presenter.

Stourton made numerous current affairs programmes for Radio 4, winning the Sony Radio Gold Award in 1997 and the Amnesty International Award in 2001. He was the author of eight books, including Confessions (2023).

Early life and education Edward John Ivo Stourton was born on 24 November 1957 in Lagos, Nigeria, the eldest of four children of Jenny (née Abbott), a former governess, and Nigel Stourton, a senior British American Tobacco executive and cousin of the 22nd Baron Stourton. His father's work took the family to Africa, Switzerland and Malta. He was privately educated at the Roman Catholic preparatory school Avisford in Walberton, and then at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, where he was head boy.

While at Ampleforth, Stourton befriended future High Court judge Nicholas Mostyn, who was also the son of a Nigerian-based BAT executive. They won the national ESU Schools Mace debating prize in 1975. Stourton read English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, gaining a 2:1. He served as president of the Cambridge Union Society and editor of the student magazine Rampage.

Broadcasting Stourton joined the staff of ITN in 1979 as a graduate trainee. His series A Year in the Arab Israeli Crisis was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service in 2005.

Today In January 1999, Stourton joined the BBC's Today programme presentation team. It was announced on 12 December 2008 that he would leave the programme in September 2009, to be replaced by Justin Webb. This announcement was greeted with widespread public dismay, not least because Stourton found out about it from a journalist rather than his employers. Following a campaign by listeners, it was announced on 27 December 2008 that he was not being sacked. Instead, shortly after Webb joined the Today Programme in August 2009, Stourton moved from presenting duties to reporting on foreign stories. Stourton presented Today for the last time on 11 September 2009. After leaving his presentation role on the Today programme, Stourton joined the presenting teams of The World at One and The World This Weekend.

Stourton married Margaret McEwen in 1980, the daughter of the Baronet of Marchmont and Bardrochat. The couple had a daughter (Eleanor) and two sons (Ivo and Tom), before divorcing in 2001. In 2002, he married former colleague Fiona Murch and had a stepdaughter (Rosy) from the marriage. Stourton died on 18 July 2026, aged 68.

Tributes Following his death, colleagues paid tribute to Stourton. Jonathan Munro said it was "far too soon to lose Ed" and that he "leaves a huge gap", while Mohit Bakaya called him "an outstanding broadcaster" who helped listeners "understand the world that little bit better".

Publications John Paul II: Man of History (Hodder & Stoughton), , 2 April 2006 In the Footsteps of St Paul (Hodder & Stoughton), , 20 May 2004 Absolute Truth: The Catholic Church Today (Viking Press), , 1 October 1998 It's a PC World: What It Means to Live in a Land Gone Politically Correct (Hodder & Stoughton), , 13 November 2008 Diary of a Dog-Walker: Time Spent Following a Lead (Doubleday), , 9 June 2011 Cruel Crossing: Escaping Hitler Across the Pyrenees (Doubleday), , 25 April 2013 Auntie's War: The BBC During the Second World War (Doubleday), , 2 November 2017 Confessions: Life re-examined (Doubleday), , 26 January 2023