Peter Stanford is an English writer, editor, journalist, and presenter. He writes for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, and The Independent on Sunday. He was editor of The Catholic Herald, and a regular contributor to the New Statesman. He has written many books, mainly biographies and books about religion.
Peter Stanford was editor of The Catholic Herald, but was forced to resign in 1992 because of a book he co-wrote with Kate Saunders, Catholics and Sex (1992). Stanford and Saunders later presented a television series based on the book on Channel 4.
Stanford has written many books since leaving The Catholic Herald. In the 1990s, Stanford wrote:
Cardinal Hume (1993) a biography of Basil Hume
Lord Longford (1994) a biography of Lord Longford, the British Labour Party politician and penal reform campaigner
Co-wrote (with Gerard Noel) The Anatomy of the Catholic Church (1994)
Co-wrote (with Leanda de Lisle) The Catholics and their Houses (1995)
The Devil (1996), which was later made into a television series
The She-Pope (1998), an investigation into the legend of Pope Joan
Bronwen Astor (1999) a biography of Bronwen Astor
The Legend of Pope Joan (1999)
Faith (2000)
Lord Longford's Prison Diary (Editor) (2000)
Heaven (2002)
The Outcasts' Outcast (2003), a new biography of Lord Longford
Why I am still a Catholic (Editor) (2005)
C Day-Lewis
50 Ideas You Really Need to Know: Religion
Several of Stanford's books have been published in the United States as well as in Great Britain, and some of his books have been translated into German.
Newspapers
Stanford wrote for the New Statesman from December 1998 until October 2004.
Stanford currently (as of 2007) writes for The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday.
Peter Stanford is the Director of the "Frank Longford Charitable Trust", and one of the judges of The Longford Prize. He is also chairman of the disability charity, "Aspire".