Nicholas Owen’s Long Road From Local News to National TV
From a teenage reporter on a Surrey newspaper to ITV royal coverage, BBC News and radio, Nicholas Owen has spent more than six decades working across British journalism.
Introduction
Nicholas Owen is a British journalist, broadcaster, news presenter and author best known for his work with ITV, ITN and BBC News. He became especially familiar to viewers during his years as ITV News Royal Correspondent, a job that placed him at the centre of some of the biggest royal stories of the 1990s.
His career started much earlier, though. He entered journalism as a teenager in 1964. No university route. No television job waiting for him. He started with local reporting and worked his way through newspapers, financial journalism, television news and radio.
As of September 2026, Owen remains publicly active through television appearances and professional speaking work.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Nicholas David Arundel Owen |
| Date of Birth | 10 February 1947 |
| Age | 79, as of September 2026 |
| Birthplace | London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Journalist, broadcaster, presenter and author |
| Career Started | 1964 |
| First Newspaper | Surrey Mirror |
| Known For | ITV News, BBC News and royal reporting |
| ITV Royal Correspondent | 1994–2000 |
| Former Broadcasters | ITV, ITN, BBC News, Classic FM |
| Wife | Brenda |
| Children | Four |
| Grandchildren | Nine, reported in 2026 |
| Current Public Work | Television appearances and professional events |
Who Is Nicholas Owen?
Nicholas Owen is one of those broadcasters whose career stretches across very different periods of British media.
He worked in print first.
Then came television.
Later, radio joined the list.
A lot of viewers remember him as an ITV newsreader. Others know him from BBC News. His royal reporting in the 1990s gave him another clear place in British broadcasting history, especially during the huge news coverage that followed the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
He should not be confused with Nick Owen, the separate British broadcaster associated with TV-am and BBC Midlands Today.
Same surname. Similar profession. Different person.
Early Life and Education
Nicholas Owen was born in London on 10 February 1947.
He attended several schools while growing up around Surrey, including Hamsey Green Primary School, Tavistock Hall, St Christopher’s School, Banstead County Secondary School and West Ewell Secondary Modern.
His path into journalism was pretty direct.
He left school at 17 after gaining five O-levels. University was not part of his route. He already wanted to report news, so he went straight into local journalism.
That choice shaped everything that followed.
Starting Work at the Surrey Mirror
Owen began his professional career in 1964 at the Surrey Mirror.
Local newspapers were tough training grounds. Young reporters had to chase stories, speak to people, check facts and write quickly. Basically, they learned journalism by doing journalism.
That early newsroom experience gave Owen a base he carried into national newspapers and, later, television.
By 1968, he had moved into Fleet Street journalism.
Moving Into National Newspapers
After local reporting, Owen worked for major British newspapers including the Evening Standard and The Daily Telegraph.
He later spent around seven years working at the Financial Times.
That part of his career matters.
Financial journalism forced him to handle business and economic stories that could easily become confusing for ordinary readers. Years later, when he moved to television, that experience fit naturally with economics and business reporting.
His career was growing fast.
But television was next.
The Move From Newspapers to Television
In 1981, Nicholas Owen moved into television journalism with the BBC in northern England.
He covered general news, industrial stories and regional issues. This was a big change from newspaper reporting, but the core job stayed the same: find the story, check it and explain it clearly.
During this period, broadcaster Mike Neville became an important professional influence on Owen.
Owen later spoke publicly about Neville’s help and the lessons he learned from watching an experienced presenter communicate naturally with viewers.
Joining ITN and Channel 4 News
Another career change came in 1984.
Owen joined ITN as Channel 4 News Business and Economics Correspondent.
His years covering financial matters in print suddenly became very useful.
He could handle economic news without turning every report into a wall of jargon. That skill helped him move into wider presenting duties.
Owen later presented Channel 4 programmes connected with major news events and political coverage, including broadcasts during the First Gulf War.
His face was becoming familiar.
Soon, he would become closely tied to ITV News.
ITV News Career
Nicholas Owen became a regular ITV news presenter and worked on the network’s lunchtime news coverage.
He handled national and international stories across years when television news was still one of the main ways British households learned what had happened that day.
Short bulletins mattered.
Big breaking stories mattered more.
Owen’s newspaper background helped him here. He had already spent years writing news before sitting behind a television desk.
Then came one of his best-known appointments.
ITV Royal Correspondent
In 1994, Owen became ITV News Royal Correspondent.
He stayed in the position until 2000.
The job involved royal tours, public appearances, major announcements and constant reporting on the British Royal Family.
It also placed him on one of the biggest news stories of the decade.
When Diana, Princess of Wales died in August 1997, Owen was ITV’s Royal Correspondent. He became heavily involved in ITN’s coverage of her death, the public reaction and the funeral.
ITN’s coverage later received recognition from the Royal Television Society.
For many viewers, this period remains the part of Owen’s career they remember most clearly.
Returning to ITV’s Lunchtime News
After his royal reporting years, Owen continued working across ITV News.
He later became a main presenter on the ITV lunchtime bulletin and worked alongside other established presenters, including Katie Derham.
By this point, he had already moved through local papers, Fleet Street, financial journalism, BBC regional television, Channel 4 and ITV.
Quite a route.
And it was not finished.
Nicholas Owen at BBC News
In 2007, Owen returned to the BBC.
He joined what was then BBC News 24 and took on regular presenting shifts, including weekend programmes and cover work.
He later appeared across the BBC News Channel and BBC One news bulletins.
His move was interesting because viewers who had spent years seeing him on ITV could now watch him presenting news for the BBC.
Today, he is best described as a former BBC News presenter.
Classic FM Radio Work
Television did not remain his only broadcast home.
Owen began presenting regularly on Classic FM in 2011.
He went on to host programmes for more than a decade.
Radio demanded a different style. There was no camera and no television graphics carrying part of the story. The presenter had to build the whole connection through voice.
Owen stayed with the station for many years and became closely associated with its weekend broadcasting.
Current public profiles describe that regular Classic FM work in the past tense, so it is safer to call him a former long-running Classic FM presenter rather than suggest that his weekly programme still continues.
What Is Nicholas Owen Doing Now?
As of September 2026, Nicholas Owen remains active in public life.
Recent reporting says he still makes regular television appearances on GB News. His professional representation has also listed appearances on The Camilla Tominey Show.
He continues to work at conferences, award events and speaking engagements too.
So retirement has not meant disappearing.
He still turns up on screen and at public events, though his schedule is very different from the years when he was reading daily news bulletins.
Nicholas Owen’s Wife and Family
Nicholas Owen is married to Brenda, who has also worked in journalism.
A September 2026 profile reported that the couple live in Surrey.
Owen has four children.
The same recent report said he has nine grandchildren.
Older web pages sometimes give different grandchild totals. The 2026 figure is the better one to use because it comes from a much more recent published interview.
There is no need to guess beyond that.
His family life has generally remained separate from the daily celebrity-news cycle.
Books Written by Nicholas Owen
Writing never disappeared from Owen’s career.
He has published several books covering subjects connected with both broadcasting and his personal interests.
Confirmed titles include:
- The Brighton Belle
- Diana: The People’s Princess
- Days Like This
- The Tattenham Corner Branch
His book about Diana followed his years covering the Royal Family for ITV.
He has also written about railways, another long-running interest.
His Interest in Railways and Transport
Nicholas Owen has spoken publicly about his interest in trains, rail systems and transport.
This is not just a passing hobby.
He has written transport-related books and remained involved with railway subjects away from television news.
Actually, it gives his public profile an unusual extra side. Many people know him mainly from news desks and royal reporting, but transport history has been part of his writing life for decades.
Strictly Come Dancing
Owen stepped far outside the newsroom in 2006 when he appeared on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The programme introduced him to an audience that may not have followed his work as a journalist.
It was a very different television job.
No breaking news.
No royal tour.
No economic report.
Just dancing.
His appearance remains one of the lighter moments in a career mostly built around serious news broadcasting.
Charity Work
Nicholas Owen has also given time to The Children’s Trust, a charity supporting children with brain injury and neurodisability.
He has served as an ambassador for the organisation.
His support went beyond attending public events. The charity has documented his work as a volunteer driver, helping transport children for appointments and activities.
That is a practical role.
He has put in real hours.
Owen’s charity involvement has continued alongside his broadcasting and public-speaking work.
Honorary Recognition
In 2015, the University of Brighton awarded Nicholas Owen an honorary Doctor of Letters.
The honour recognised his work in journalism and his support for charitable causes.
It marked more than five decades since he had first entered a local newsroom as a teenager.
What Makes His Career Unusual?
The length of it stands out.
Owen started journalism in 1964.
That means his professional life has crossed the age of local newspaper dominance, Fleet Street’s old newsroom culture, the growth of televised news, 24-hour news channels and the current period of digital and social media.
He did not stay in one corner either.
Local reporting.
National newspapers.
Financial journalism.
Royal coverage.
News presenting.
Radio.
Books.
Public speaking.
The jobs changed, but reporting stayed near the centre.
Final Thought
Nicholas Owen built his career the old way.
He started small.
Then he kept working.
From a local newspaper desk in Surrey to ITV royal reporting and BBC News, his career covers more than six decades of British journalism.
His years covering the Royal Family brought some of his most widely remembered work, but that is only part of the story. Newspapers, economics, television bulletins, radio, books and charity work all sit in the same long career.
And even at 79, as of September 2026, he has remained publicly active.
That says plenty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nicholas Owen?
Nicholas Owen is a British journalist, broadcaster, news presenter and author. He is known for his work with ITV, ITN, BBC News and Classic FM.
How old is Nicholas Owen?
Nicholas Owen was born on 10 February 1947. He is 79 years old as of September 2026.
Was Nicholas Owen a BBC News presenter?
Yes. He joined BBC News 24 in 2007 and later presented programmes across the BBC News Channel and BBC One.
Was Nicholas Owen ITV’s Royal Correspondent?
Yes. He served as ITV News Royal Correspondent from 1994 until 2000.
Did Nicholas Owen cover Princess Diana?
Yes. He was ITV’s Royal Correspondent when Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997 and worked on ITN’s coverage of her death and funeral.
Who is Nicholas Owen’s wife?
His wife is Brenda, a retired journalist.
Does Nicholas Owen have children?
Yes. He has four children. A September 2026 profile reported that he also has nine grandchildren.
Is Nicholas Owen still working?
Yes. As of September 2026, he continues to make television appearances and works at professional events and speaking engagements.
