Veteran journalist Alastair Stewart OBE is to retire from regular television after nearly half a century at the forefront of news broadcasting.
Alastair hosted his final episode of Alastair Stewart & Friends, a discussion programme on Saturdays and Sundays, last weekend.
He will continue to work with GB News as an occasional contributor and commentator on major news events such as the King’s Coronation and the general election.
Alastair is Britain’s longest-serving newsreader, having presented the news on both local and national television for more than 45 years.
He joined GB News two years ago, before its launch, and has been instrumental in its programming line-up. He announced the Queen’s death, led the subsequent coverage, and anchored the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year.
He has also hosted major political debates such as the Hustings with Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak in their bids to be prime minister, and the People’s Forum in which locals in Leigh, near Manchester, grilled Liz Truss.
“I’m nearly 71 and I still get the most tremendous lift from live television – it’s the best job in the world,” he said. “However, the rigours of preparing for two live interview shows a week, and commuting from Hampshire to London for them, are considerable.
“I want to reduce my commitment while I’m still ahead as an old broadcaster, rather than an ancient one. Thankfully the timing is mine; I just want to spend more of it with my family, my horses, and the charities that have meant so much to me over the years.”
He added: “It’s been a privilege to complete my regular broadcasting career with a sparky start-up like GB News that’s challenging the traditional moulds I’ve known for so long.
“It’s kept me on my toes, taught me new tricks, but above all GB News has liberated me. I’ve had the freedom to cover the stories I’m passionate about, interview the people I want, and to offer my perspective more freely than I’ve been allowed to in the past.
“I’m grateful to everyone at GB News, but also to all the fabulous colleagues I’ve known throughout these many years. Quite simply, I couldn’t have done any of it without them.”
Alastair was one of the main newsreaders at ITV News for more than 35 years, anchoring News at Ten and providing commentary for special programmes such as Royal Weddings, elections, budgets, and State Openings of Parliament.
Among countless major stories in his career, he reported live from the 1980s miners’ strike, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the first Gulf War from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He was the first British journalist to cover the liberation of Kuwait.
He was Washington correspondent for ITV News and moderated the UK’s first ever debate between prime ministerial candidates David Cameron, Gordon Brown, and Nick Clegg ahead of the 2010 general election. He left ITV News in 2019.
He originally intended a career in politics, having studied economics at Bristol University where he was deputy president of the National Union of Students. This landed him his break in journalism when he appeared on local TV to berate Margaret Thatcher’s education cuts.
His awards include the Royal Television Society’s Presenter of the Year Award, twice, and an OBE for his extensive charity work and services to television.
Chief Executive Officer Angelos Frangopoulos said: “Alastair is a legendary broadcaster whose contribution to this industry has been virtually unmatched.
“His immense generosity in mentoring journalists at GB News has ensured his legacy will endure for the next generation of broadcasters. We can’t thank him enough and we wish him a long and happy retirement – he’s certainly earned it.”
