John Preston

1953–

John Preston is an English journalist, novelist and screenwriter, born in 1953 and educated at Marlborough College. He was arts editor of the Evening Standard and of the Sunday Telegraph, where he also spent a decade as television critic and was one of the chief feature writers. His novel The Dig, drawing on the 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation in which his aunt took part, was adapted for film with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. His first non-fiction book, A Very English Scandal (2016), became a BAFTA-winning BBC drama. Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell (2021) won the Costa Biography Award. He has also written for television, including the drama Stonehouse. He lives in London.

Timeline of John Preston’s life

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Prizes