Sir Craig Stewart Oliver (born 15 May 1969) is a British news editor, producer and media executive, and the former
Director of Politics and Communications for British prime minister
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
.
Previously, he was Controller of English news output for BBC Global News, responsible for commissioning the news content for the corporation's English-language global services, including the
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...
,
BBC World News
BBC World News is an international English-language pay television network, operated under the ''BBC Global News Limited'' division of the BBC, which is a public corporation of the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and S ...
and
BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...
.
Early life
Oliver was born in
Basford,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
. His father,
Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
, relocated the family to Scotland on his promotion to
Chief Constable of
Central Scotland Police, then later Chief Constable of
Grampian Police
Grampian Police was, between 1975 and 2013 (replaced by Police Scotland), the territorial police force of the northeast region of Scotland, covering the council areas of Aberdeenshire, the City of Aberdeen, and Moray (the former Grampian region) ...
.
[
Craig Oliver attended Stirling High School, where he was a contemporary of the presenter ]Kirsty Young
Kirsty Jackson Young (born 23 November 1968) is a Scottish television and radio presenter.
From 2006 to 2018 she was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's ''Desert Island Discs''. She presented ''Crimewatch'' on BBC One from 2008 to 2015.
Early ...
, then went on to read English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
at the University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
.
Career
Journalism
After graduating with a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the Cardiff School of Journalism
The Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies (JOMEC) ( cy, Ysgol Newyddiaduriaeth, y Cyfryngau ac Astudiaethau Diwylliannol, Caerdydd) is Cardiff University's school for training in media. It is one of the journalism schools wh ...
,[ Oliver began his media career in 1992 as a reporter for STV.]
One of his first assignments for the station was covering a fire in a block of flats in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
's Easterhouse
Easterhouse is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, east of the city centre on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of an expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. The area is on high ground north of the River Clyde and south ...
district.[ In 1993 he joined ]ITN
Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, N ...
as a trainee reporter, after which he became a producer on ITV's '' News at Ten''.[ With the launch of Channel Five in 1997 he moved from ''News at Ten'' to become programme editor of '']Five News
''5 News at 5'', also known as ''Channel 5 News'', is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5, produced by ITN from its main newsroom on Gray's Inn Road, London.
History
''5 News'' was one of the new station's flagship programme ...
'', but returned to ITV in 1999 as senior programme editor for '' ITV Evening News''. He moved to ''Channel Four News
''Channel 4 News'' is the main news programme on British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since Channel 4's launch in November 1982.
Current productions
''Channel 4 News''
''Channel 4 News'' i ...
'' in 2002, but once again returned to ITV News the following year when he was appointed Head of Output. He was later promoted to Head of Network News Programming.
Oliver joined the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
in 2006, where he became editor of BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
's Ten O'Clock News, He was also editor of the channel's Six O'Clock News.
In May 2009, Oliver was appointed the new deputy head of the Corporation's multimedia newsroom, replacing Mary Hockaday
(Anne) Mary Hockaday (born 31 May 1962) is a British journalist and academic administrator. Since October 2022, she has been Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge. She was previously head of the BBC Multimedia Newsroom, and controller of BBC World ...
.
Oliver was subsequently appointed Controller of English, BBC Global News in April 2010, with responsibility for multiplatform commissioning of all BBC Global News English output. He took up this role after editing the BBC's 2010 general election coverage.[ At BBC World, he was part of the team which oversaw cuts to the Corporation's World Service.][
]
Director of Communications
On 2 February 2011, he was appointed Andy Coulson
Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist.
Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
's replacement as Director of Communications at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
, having been recommended by Coulson for the job. He took up this position on 28 February. He committed a political faux pas at the following weekend's Conservative Party Spring Conference after accidentally showing his notes for David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
's keynote speech to photographers.
On 24 May 2012, Oliver was named in documents submitted to the Leveson Inquiry
The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed in July 2011. A series of ...
into media standards as being one of eight Downing Street advisers to have had contact with News Corporation lobbyist Frédéric Michel. Oliver and Michel dined together in July 2011 after news broke concerning the News of the World phone hacking scandal
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. New ...
, but Oliver did not have to declare the dinner on the register of interests as they split the bill.
On 28 May 2012, video footage was posted on the internet of Oliver reprimanding BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
correspondent Norman Smith over the content of a story concerning a memo Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt sent to David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
about his thoughts on News Corporation's bid to take full control of BSkyB
Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
. Oliver did not appear to realise the cameras were rolling during their exchange.
On 12 December 2012, it was claimed that during a telephone call to ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' Oliver had warned the newspaper against running a critical story on MPs expenses claimed by Culture Secretary Maria Miller because of her role in enacting proposals in the Leveson report
The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British newspapers, press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Brian Leveson, Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed ...
. Downing Street denied that any threats were made. The Parliamentary Commission for Standards subsequently launched an investigation into Miller's expenses.
Post-Downing Street career
Oliver was knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in the 2016 Resignation Honours after David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
stepped down as Prime Minister in the wake of the European Union membership referendum.
After leaving Downing Street, Oliver wrote an account of the referendum campaign, published in October 2016. The book, ''Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story of Brexit'', was serialised in '' The Mail on Sunday'' in September 2016, and claims that David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
felt "badly let down" by Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
(who was Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
during the referendum campaign) because she failed to back the Remain side.
Oliver has also entered the "revolving door" and become Principal at Teneo
Teneo is a public relations and advisory company. The company was founded in June 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary, and Doug Band, and currently has more than 1,450 employees located in 40 offices. In 2019, Teneo sold a majority stake to CV ...
, a consultancy that already employs William Hague as a consultant, where he will advise on strategy.
Business interests
In June 2010 Oliver became a director of BBC World News Limited. From 2005 to 2011, he served as company secretary to Paya Ltd, a company founded by his wife, but declared his intention to relinquish this role upon taking up his position at Downing Street.
In popular culture
Oliver was portrayed by actor Rory Kinnear in the 2019 HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
and Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
produced drama entitled '' Brexit: The Uncivil War''.
Personal life
Oliver married BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
presenter Joanna Gosling
Joanna Marie Mussett Gosling (born 5 January 1971) is an English television news presenter, broadcast journalist and author. She presents on the United Kingdom rolling news channel BBC News, including on BBC2 from 11am until 1pm. She also often ...
in 1996[ and they had three children together. Oliver and Gosling separated in March 2014.]
References
External links
Craig Oliver , Financial Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Craig
1969 births
People from Nottingham
People educated at Stirling High School
Alumni of Cardiff University
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
STV News newsreaders and journalists
BBC executives
British special advisers
Knights Bachelor
Living people
Conservative Party (UK) officials