Craven, John

John was born in Leeds. He’s had a long career in journalism and TV presenting. He started in print journalism as a junior reporter at the Harrogate Advertiser.

He later worked for the Yorkshire Post and as a freelance correspondent for national newspapers.

His first foray into broadcasting was with the BBC in Newcastle, where he worked on local TV and radio, including the regional news programme Look North. In 1970, he moved to BBC Bristol.

For many children of the 1970s and 1980s, John Craven was the man who brought them the news, in a way that they could understand, on Newsround, every weekday afternoon.

The programme launched on 4th April 1972 and was known as John Craven’s Newsround for many years.

John became the programme’s editor in 1986. He had presented over 3,000 editions by the time he fronted his final Newsround on 22nd June 1989.

Newsround had all the resources of BBC News available to it and many correspondents from the main BBC One news programmes contributed to it.

Perhaps one of the most memorable editions of the programme was when it broke the news of the Challenger shuttle disaster (1986).

Having left 13 years earlier, John appeared on Newsround on 4th April 2002, to co-present alongside Becky Jago and Lizo Mzimba on the occasion of the programme’s 30th anniversary.

He joined past and present presenters for the 50th anniversary in April 2022.

Among his other contributions to children’s programming on the BBC were his news segments on two Saturday morning shows: Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976 – 1982) and Saturday Superstore (1982 – 1987).

John also contributed to Radio Times for many years, in his John Craven’s Back Pages column.

John presented many BBC TV Children’s programmes including:

• Search – BBC Bristol magazine programme (1971 – 1972);
• The Story Behind the Story (BBC Two/BBC One, 1972 – 1973);
• Question master on BBC Bristol’s children’s quiz show, It’s Your Word (BBC One, 1973);
• Event (1973);
• Brainchild – BBC Bristol children’s quiz series (1974 – 1975);
• Newsround Extra (BBC One, 1975 – 1976, 1981 – 1987 and 1989);
• Newsround Update (1976);
• Speak Out (BBC Two, 1982 and 1984);
• The Show Me Show (BBC One, 1982 – 1983 and BBC Two 1985);
• Speak Out On Grange Hill (4th March 1983);
• In Front of the Children – a celebration of 60 years of BBC Children’s programmes (BBC One, 16th February 1983);
• It’s Not Just Zammo – co-presented with Nick Ross (1st April 1986);
• Newsround China (1986).

Since 1989, John has been one of the main presenters on Countryfile – a regular fixture in the BBC One schedule, reporting on rural, agricultural and environmental issues. For many years the programme aired in a Sunday lunchtime slot, before moving to Sunday early evening from 2009.

He presented The World’s Strongest Man (BBC One, 1995).

In 2014, John took part in Gareth’s All Star Choir with choirmaster Gareth Malone. The choir released a cover version of Wake Me Up by Avicii in November 2014 for BBC Children in Need.

On radio, he presented on BBC Radio 2 (1983 – 1985) and John Craven’s Music-Go-Round (BBC Radio 2, 1984).

In 1996, he was elected a member of the Royal Television Society and awarded the RTS Baird Medal in 2002.

John was awarded the OBE in the 2000 New Years Honours for services to rural and children’s broadcasting.

He is a fellow of the Linnean Society of London.

In November 2011, he received a special award for Newsround at the British Academy Children’s Awards in recognition of its contribution to television.

In June 2022, John took part in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, representing the 1970s, on a double decker bus driving up The Mall near Buckingham Palace.

John’s autobiography Headlines and Hedgerows: A Memoir was published by Michael Joseph in 2019.

Personal information

Clips of John on The TV Room

John may be featured in video/audio clips on our other websites. Click the links below to display a listing (a 404 error will appear if no clips are found):

Rewind | Clean Feed

Online presence

Acknowledgements