Peter Sissons
| Peter Sissons | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Peter George Sissons 17 July 1942 Liverpool, England |
| Occupation | Broadcast journalist |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Notable credit(s) |
ITV News (ITN) Channel 4 News Question Time BBC News |
| Spouse(s) | Sylvia (m. 1965) |
| Children | 3 |
Peter George Sissons (born 17 July 1942) is an English broadcast journalist. He was the presenter of the BBC Nine O'Clock News and the BBC Ten O'Clock News between 1993 and 2003, and earlier a newscaster for ITN, providing bulletins on ITV and Channel 4. He is also a former presenter of the BBC's Question Time programme. He retired from the BBC in 2009.
Born in Smithdown Road Hospital, Liverpool, he was the third of four brothers, sons of Merchant Navy officer George Robert Percival Sissons and his wife Elsie.
Sissons attended the Dovedale Junior School with John Lennon and Jimmy Tarbuck. He passed the eleven-plus and attended the Liverpool Institute for Boys from 1953 to 1961 with Bill Kenwright, Steven Norris, George Harrison and Paul McCartney. He later studied at University College, Oxford, where he was Treasurer of the University College Players.
Sissons joined ITN in 1964, working his way up to the role of journalist. He was wounded by gunfire whilst covering the Biafran War in 1968, sustaining severe nerve damage in his left leg. After recovering from his injuries, he became ITN's Industrial Editor, covering many high-profile industrial disputes during the 1970s. In 1976, Sissons joined the list of presenters of ITN's lunchtime News at One bulletin, alternating with Leonard Parkin. He also co-presented ITN's election night programmes in 1983 (with Sir Alastair Burnet and Martyn Lewis) and in 1987 (with Burnet and Alastair Stewart). In 1982, Sissons, along with Trevor McDonald and Sarah Hogg, presented the first edition of Channel 4 News. He remained on the programme for seven years, anchoring the only debate between National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill and National Coal Board leader Ian MacGregor during the Miners' Strike. He was also the presenter on the night of the Lockerbie bombing in December 1988. In early 1989, Sissons received a death threat following his interview of an Iranian representative as part of the reaction surrounding the publication of The Satanic Verses, with the fatwa covering Salman Rushdie extended to cover him as well.
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