Alastair Stewart

Live with Alastair Stewart, a daily interview-led programme, airs every weekday between 1000 and 1145. Alastair combines this programme with his role as presenter of London Tonight.

Alastair Stewart has been presenting London Tonight from Day One, in January 1993. He left ITN and joined the LNN team in November 1992.

When asked how he got started in television, he says: "I was interviewed on Southern ITV's regional news show "Coast to Coast" in 1976 when I was Deputy President of the National Union of Students. The Editor thought I made a reasonable fist of it and offered me a job! Initially I turned him down as the choice between a few more years on a student grant and the chance of a career in TV was by no means an automatic one. In the end I opted for TV..."

He never intended to work in TV news - youthful ambititions included acting, the legal profession, a Fleet Air Arm pilot and a politician .

He loves the excitement of breaking news: "if you know what is going to happen on a news day, it isn't a news day! We fly by the seats of our pants and I love it."

Despite leaving the network news service on ITV, Alastair has remained part of the channel's election coverage.

Asked what was it like presenting in a virtual studio during the 1997 election coverage, he says "Spooky but fun! I thought it looked rather good on screen but, of course, none of it was there, really! I felt more like a ballet dancer than a TV presenter: the choreography was almost as important as the politics. Avoiding putting ones hand on the knee of a "virtual" MP in a "virtual" House of Commons was really quite tricky..."

Alastair is not a soccer fan: "It leaves me cold and one of the types I dislike most is that group of middle class, middle aged men who "pretend" they really are into football! I like motor-racing and admire Frank Williams, Damon Hill, Eddie Irvine, Johnny Herbert and David Coulthard."

Asked about the job of his dreams he replies: "The man who presents ALL the decent news and current affairs programmes on ITV... Or Chancellor of the Exchequer!"