Gavin Esler (born 27 February 1953 in Glasgow) is a Scottish author and BBC television presenter, currently one of the five main presenters on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight.
Esler was educated at the independent George Heriot's School, Edinburgh. He later gained a BA in English and American literature from the University of Kent and a further MA in Anglo-Irish literature with distinction from the University of Leeds. He first entered journalism on the Belfast Telegraph and has two honorary degrees, including a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Kent at Canterbury.Esler's speech is identifiably East Central Scotland (middle class Edinburgh) but he does have a tendency to pronounce certain words in an affected (?) English accent. One example is his pronunciation of the name 'Murdoch'. In Scotland this is pronounced 'Murr-dich' but Esler pronounces it 'Murdock', a stereotypically English mispronunciation of the soft 'CH' sound.
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. 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 Society 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. In 2007 he won a Sony Gold Award for his radio documentary report on Sami al-Hajj, one of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Following the broadcast Sami al Hajj was released from American custody.
Esler combined reporting with presenting from the mid 1980s on BBC One's regional news programme for London and the South East of England - Newsroom South East. He then joined BBC News (then known as BBC News 24) from its outset, presenting its primetime slot alongside Sian Williams for several years.
In January 2003 he joined Newsnight, replacing Jeremy Vine, who left to take over from Jimmy Young on Radio 2. During his career he has interviewed heads of state including Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac and King Abdullah of Jordan. He has also interviewed a wide range of cultural figures including Dolly Parton, Doris Lessing, Penélope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, V. S. Naipaul, Roger Waters, Vikram Seth and Seamus Heaney.
Esler also presents Dateline London on BBC News and BBC World News most Sunday mornings at 11am. He also presents the BBC News at Five O'Clock on the BBC News channel on Fridays and when Huw Edwards is away. Esler has also hosted Radio 4 factual series, Four Corners along with fellow Scottish broadcaster, Anne MacKenzie.
Esler is the author of five novels - Loyalties, Deep Blue, The Blood Brother, A Scandalous Man, and Power Play. "A Scandalous Man" was described by fellow author Bernard Cornwell as "a compelling book, its political sophistication made luminous with wisdom sympathy and story telling." Other reviewers were equally complimentary. ""What enlivens A Scandalous Man is its worldliness, its undoubted sympathy for the human condition and a burning anger, a genuine lyricism, a quick sensitivity, and a real understanding of other people." THE GUARDIAN. "Esler has a knack for creating vivid, attractive and repellent characters, and he understands the political beast better than anyone." FINANCIAL TIMES. "An acute and poignant account of the impact politics has on flesh and blood." ARENA. His fifth novel, POWERPLAY, was published by HarperCollins in August 2009 with the paperback edition scheduled for May 2010. Esler has also written a book on American discontent, The United States of Anger, published in October 1997 (Penguin). For several years he wrote a regular column for The Scotsman, The Independent and other publications.
In a 2004 eulogy for Ronald Reagan in the Daily Mail, Gavin Esler wrote, "Ronald Wilson Reagan embodied the optimistic belief that problems can and will be solved, that tomorrow will be better than today, and that our children will be wealthier and happier than we are." On Newsnight 9 June 2004, Esler commented, Ronald Reagan was "a man who was loved even by his political opponents in this country [America] and abroad...Many people believe that he restored faith in American military action after Vietnam through his willingness to use force, if necessary, in defence of American interests." Journalist John Pilger noted, "When even Gavin Esler eulogises Ronald Reagan, we're in trouble".
Galloway interview
In 2005 Gavin Esler interviewed George Galloway on Newsnight on the subject of the London bombings. The BBC was reported to have received hundreds of complaints about Esler's interview. The criticism was that Gavin Esler's questioning was "rude and aggressive". However, Peter Barron, editor of Newsnight, defended Esler's questioning of Galloway's tactics: "...I accept entirely that while Mr Galloway's views run counter to those expressed by mainstream politicians they are views that may be held quite widely across the country and perhaps particularly in parts of London such as Mr Galloway's constituency. The thrust of Gavin's questioning was to ask if it was wise to express these provocative views - effectively "I told you so" - at a time when many politicians and Muslim leaders had been appealing for calm. I believe that was a fair and appropriate line of questioning."
In 2007, Esler separated from his wife of 28 years, Patricia Warner, who lives in the family home with their two children. In late-2008, Esler began living in a townhouse in west London, with rock-violinist Anna Phoebe.
