| Peston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Politics |
| Presented by | Robert Peston |
| Starring | Anushka Asthana (2018–2025) Pippa Crerar (2025–) |
| Theme music composer | Sitting Duck |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Mark Rubens Rachel Corp |
| Production location |
|
| Editor | Kishan Koria |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 45 minutes (including adverts) |
| Production company | Multistory Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 26 September 2018 (2018-09-26) – present |
| Related | |
Peston is the flagship political discussion programme on British television network ITV, usually recorded live on Monday or Wednesday evenings at 9pm. It is broadcast live on Twitter (the first terrestrial UK programme to do so) and then played out after ITV News at Ten at 10.45pm (usually later on STV). It was announced on 5 June 2018 that the show would launch in the autumn of that year as a continuation of Peston on Sunday.[1] The programme is presented by Robert Peston, the Political Editor of ITV News, and features a combination of interviews with politicians and public figures alongside analysis of the major news events of the week.
Format
According to ITV, Peston intends to "provide viewers with a fresh, intelligent and lively perspective on the big matters of the day."[2] Political and cultural guests join Robert Peston in the studio or remotely for interviews, with analysis from Pippa Crerar,[3] who replaced Anushka Asthana in September 2025, and 'Screeny', the show's large touchscreen which also features social media interaction.
The show launched on 26 September 2018 with its own emoji on Twitter promoting the launch. The emoji appears when any user tweets " #Peston. " [4]
Episodes
Run 1
The show launched on 26 September 2018 for its initial run.
Run 2
Peston returned in the New Year to cover the run-up to Britain's scheduled departure from the EU on 29 March.
Run 3
Peston returned after Easter in 2019, covering a period including the Local and European elections and the Conservative Leadership race to replace Theresa May as PM.
Run 4
Peston was back on air after the summer on 4 September 2019, returning with an interview with the PM Boris Johnson and ending with coverage of the snap UK General Election.
Run 5
The show returned to air on 15 January 2020 staying on air throughout lockdown to cover the COVID-19 pandemic, including a number of episodes with Robert Peston himself in isolation.
Run 6
Peston returned following the summer break in September 2020 to discuss the ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic, UK-EU Free Trade Deal negotiations and the US Presidential Election.
Run 7
The show returned from a Christmas break as the UK returned to Covid lockdown to combat a severe second wave of the virus.
Run 8
The show returned from a summer break in September 2021.
Run 9
The show returned from a Christmas break in January 2022.
Run 10
The show returned from summer recess in September 2023. Across the series Queen Elizabeth II died, Liz Truss became the shortest-serving prime minister resigning after the results of her mini-budget and subsequently Rishi Sunak became prime minister.
Run 11
The show returned after easter recess to cover the local elections, the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the political issues of the day.
The show returned after summer recess in September 2023 to cover the Conservative and Labour conferences, the return of David Cameron to cabinet and the Supreme Court challenge to the Government's Rwanda policy.
Run 12, January 2024
The show returned for its tenth season in January 2024, covering the UK's General Election from May–July.
Run 13, January 2025
The show returned for an eleventh season in January 2025.
Run 14, September 2025
The show returned from summer recess in September 2025, moving to Monday nights. Pippa Crerar joined as co-host, replacing Anushka Asthana.
| Episode | Date | Guests |
|---|---|---|
1 |
15 September 2025 | Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, Kim Darroch, John McDonnell and Penny Mordaunt |
2 |
22 September 2025 | James Murray, Ed Davey, Aaron David Miller, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Maria Caulfield |
3 |
29 September 2025 | David Lammy, Lucy Powell, Emily Thornberry and Jeremy Hunt |
4 |
6 October 2025 | Andy Burnham, Mel Stride, Yossi Beilin, Rosena Allin-Khan and Andrea Jenkyns |
5 |
13 October 2025 | Yvette Cooper, Sharone Lifschitz, Dawn Butler and Layla Moran |
6 |
20 October 2025 | Zack Polanski, Katie Lam, Ruth Curtice and Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib |
7 |
27 October 2025 | Kemi Badenoch, John Healey, Stephen Flynn and Esther McVey |
8 |
12 November 2025 | Anna Turley, Ken Clarke, Justin King, Chris Curtis and Nadine Dorries |
9 |
19 November 2025 | Darren Jones, Piers Morgan, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Jacob Rees-Mogg |
10 |
26 November 2025 | Jim O'Neill, Mel Stride, Richard Tice, Dan Neidle and John McDonnell |
11 |
3 December 2025 | James Murray, Martin Lewis, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Tom Tugendhat and Layla Moran |
Run 15, January 2026
The twelfth series of Peston commenced on the 14 January 2026.
References
- Waterson, Jim (6 June 2018). "Robert Peston moves to midweek ITV slot after poor viewing figures". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- "Peston confirmed". ITV Press Centre Twitter. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- "Pippa Crerar joins Peston". ITV Press Centre. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- "Robert Peston gets Twitter emoji makeover for new midweek programme". Irish Independent. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- Peston [@itvpeston] (30 October 2019). "PRE-ELECTION PESTON LIVE. Watch from anywhere in the world, RT and use #Peston to join the conversation. @Peston and @AnushkaAsthana are joined tonight by: @RobertBuckland, @DawnButlerBrent, @SayeedaWarsi, @ChukaUmunna, @OnnMel & @GavinBarwell.https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1mrGmrNpEnQJy …" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 November 2019 – via Twitter.