Gavin Esler on 40 Years at the BBC: Clinton's Early Years, Newsnight and Meeting Dolly Parton

In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan sits down with journalist, author and broadcaster Gavin Esler for a wide-ranging conversation that spans Northern Ireland, the White House, and a memorable visit to Dolly Parton’s home.

Gavin opens up about his early career during the Troubles, his run-ins with BBC bureaucracy, and the journalism that helped free innocent men wrongly imprisoned after IRA bombings. He reflects on his years in the United States reporting on Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, his time anchoring Newsnight during its heyday, and how both the media landscape and political accountability have changed.

Gavin also reveals:

What it was like to report on Obama’s rise, from Chicago blues clubs
Why sectarian football chants nearly turned him off the game
The challenge of holding power to account in an age of "truth decay"

Timestamps

02:31 – Childhood illness, surgery, and early dream to become a doctor
03:44 – Witnessing sectarianism during the Troubles in Northern Ireland
06:21 – Rangers, Celtic, and the sectarianism of Scottish football
07:46 – BBC rejections — and eventual Newsnight breakthrough
08:14 – From Belfast to London and Newsnight’s early foreign trips
10:26 – Life as BBC's US Correspondent and bumping into Bill Clinton
15:08 – Reporting on Barack Obama’s rise from Chicago blues clubs
16:19 – Newsnight's Friday culture nights with Kirsty Wark
22:22 – Film reviewing and interviewing Dolly Parton at home
24:09 – "Why we need Hillary" headline that caused a stir
25:01 – BBC management and public trust
34:28 – Tennis, podcasting, and plans for his next book