Rich PrestonBBC News Anchor & World Affairs Reporter.

Rich is a presenter for BBC News where he currently anchors on the BBC’s international and domestic news channel, covering global news for the BBC’s audiences around the world.

He has recently hosted the BBC’s coverage of major events including extensive coverage of the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the 2024 US Presidential Election, the war in Gaza, and fighting between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Rich covered the deaths of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II and their subsequent funerals, and the coronation of King Charles for the BBC World Service.

Rich’s report in January 2020 on the death of a man from a mysterious new disease in central China was the first TV news piece by an international broadcaster on what became the coronavirus pandemic. Rich previously covered Western Europe, reporting stories including the Scottish Independence Referendum, the Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, and Brussels attacks, the migrant crisis, and the UK’s Brexit vote. Before that, Rich reported technology and arts stories for the BBC.

Rich holds an MA in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College London with studies in National Security, Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Extremism, and Foreign Policy.   He’s a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (“Chatham House”) and the Royal United Services Institute.

An experienced event host, Rich has fronted major international technology conferences in Asia and London and hosted awards ceremonies for a range of organisations, including an animal welfare charity and an association for wealth managers. 

In his spare time, Rich enjoys hiking, climbing, traveling, and training his dog. He’s a PADI certified SCUBA diver and a qualified advanced off-road driver. Prior to joining the BBC, Rich served as a police officer in Central Scotland. Rich grew up in rural Aberdeenshire and now lives in London.