

About Rich
BBC News presenter and foreign 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. For 8 years Rich was the host of BBC Topline – a daily international news briefing for US public radio, broadcast at peak times across America.
He has 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.
In his spare time, Rich enjoys being outside, travelling, and going on adventures with his dog. He’s a qualified advanced off-road driver and a volunteer first responder for London Ambulance Service.
































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Rich Preston
@richpreston ·FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I’m back at work today after being off on parental leave for a wee while. I’m a combination of nervous, anxious, and excited. Here are some of my observations from my first few months of parenthood (which I accept will likely be no surprise to some…):
Rich Preston
@richpreston ·Last week we got nearly *100* people through the doors of my local library to learn CPR in just one afternoon!! 😱 It’s such a useful skill to have which you hope you never have to use. Huge thanks to @Ldn_Ambulance for teaching all these people how easy it is to save a life 🫀❤️🩹
Rich Preston
@richpreston ·Something very odd happened to me the other day. It’s either an innocent - albeit weird - mistake by someone at the @ukhomeoffice, I’m being trolled - or a Russian spy at the heart of British government is trying to send me a coded message… 🕵️♂️
READ ON… 🧵