Esme Wren announced as new editor for BBC Newsnight
Esme Wren has been appointed as the new editor of BBC Newsnight. Esme is currently Head of Politics, Business and Specialist Journalism at Sky News. She will take on the Newsnight role later this spring. Esme replaces Ian Katz, who left the BBC in November 2017.
Published: 12 February 2018
Newsnight is in Esme’s DNA. It’s where she began her broadcasting career and we’re delighted to welcome her back to the BBC as its editor.
Fran Unsworth, Director of BBC News and Current Affairs, says: "Newsnight is in Esme’s DNA. It’s where she began her broadcasting career and we’re delighted to welcome her back to the BBC as its editor. She brings with her a wealth of TV and political expertise, and she’s worked with some of the finest names in the business. We are all looking forward to having Esme at the helm of one of our most important programmes.
“I’d also like to say a huge thank you to Jess Brammar and Dan Clarke, who have been editing Newsnight since Ian’s departure.”
Commenting on her appointment, Esme Wren says: “It is a great honour and privilege to be returning to Newsnight to lead this exceptional team of award-winning and creative journalists. There couldn’t be a more exciting time to edit the programme that leads the way in cutting through the constant noise of political, social and global change.
“The last 12 years at Sky News could not have been better. I’ve been given the opportunities to grow and develop that have prepared me to now take on one of the best jobs in British journalism.”
Esme has held a number of senior editorial roles at Sky News. She began her journalism career at the BBC in 1999, as a producer on Newsnight.
Newsnight is one of the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programmes. Recently, the programme’s journalism has included in-depth reports on the victims of Grenfell tower and the Rohingya crisis - both of which have been nominated for RTS awards, along with Emily Maitlis’ interview with Theresa May after the Grenfell tragedy, which is nominated for Interview of the Year. In total the programme has picked up 5 nominations.
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