Quick answer: John Craven was born on 16 August 1940 in Leeds, Yorkshire. That makes him 86 years old as of November 2026. He turned 86 in August 2026, so pages that still say 85 are out of date.
Most results give his birth year without the date, or give an age with no date attached. Below we set out the confirmed facts first. Then we cover his career from regional newspapers to Newsround and Countryfile, and finally what he has actually said in public about his family.
John Craven’s age and date of birth
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | John Craven |
| Date of birth | 16 August 1940 |
| Age | 86 (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Star sign | Leo (based on the 16 August birth date) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Journalist and television presenter |
| Best known for | Newsround (1972–1989), Countryfile (from 1989) |
| Honours | OBE (2000), RTS Baird Medal (2002) |
The age is easy to work out. His birthday falls in mid-August, so he gains a year every summer. From 16 August 2026 to 15 August 2027 he is 86. On 16 August 2027 he turns 87.
Early life and education
Craven grew up in Leeds and went to Leeds Modern School, a grammar school in the north of the city. He did not go to university. He left school at 16, which was common for his generation, and started an apprenticeship at Yorkshire Copperworks.
He soon moved into journalism and learned the trade the traditional way, on local newspapers. His early jobs included the Harrogate Advertiser and later the Yorkshire Post, and he also did freelance writing. That background in print reporting explains a lot about his later style on screen. He was trained to get the facts straight and explain them plainly, with no grandstanding.
Career milestones: from local papers to Countryfile
Few British broadcasters have stayed on air for as long as Craven. Here is the short version, in order.
Regional BBC television
- BBC Newcastle: He moved from newspapers into regional television, presenting and reporting for the BBC in the North East.
- BBC Bristol (1970): He moved to Bristol, which was his route into network programmes.
Newsround (1972–1989)
Craven became the main face of John Craven’s Newsround, the BBC’s news programme for children, which launched in 1972. He presented it for 17 years and more than 3,000 episodes. The show’s original idea was to take real news seriously and explain it to children without talking down to them. That sounds obvious now, but in 1972 it was a new idea.
The most famous moment came in January 1986, when Newsround was on air as the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened. The programme was among the first in the UK to report it. A generation of viewers remember hearing the news from Craven.
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and children’s TV
He was also a regular on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, the BBC’s Saturday morning show, where he did news and current affairs segments. This strengthened his place as one of the best-known faces in children’s television of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Countryfile (1989 onwards)
In 1989 Craven moved to Countryfile, the BBC’s rural affairs programme. He has become its longest-serving and most recognisable presenter. He was the main anchor through its years as a Sunday-lunchtime show. When the programme moved to a prime-time slot in 2009 he became part of a larger presenting team, often covering the harder rural-policy stories while others did the lighter features.
Later TV work
- Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir (2014): He was one of the celebrity singers in the Children in Need choir.
- Beat the Brain (2015): He hosted this BBC Two daytime quiz show.
Honours
- OBE (2000): for services to rural and children’s broadcasting.
- Royal Television Society Baird Medal (2002).
- Fellow of the Linnean Society, a recognition of his work in natural history and the countryside.
If you are interested in long-serving British TV figures, our profile of Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson covers another career built on factual daytime television.
Personal life: how many times has John Craven been married?
Short answer: once, as far as public records and interviews show. Craven is married to Marilyn, and they have been together for more than 50 years. No earlier marriage has been reported in any reliable source.
That needs saying because this is one of the most searched questions about him, and the low-quality “celebrity stats” pages tend to fill the gap with guesswork. The checked facts are:
- Wife: Marilyn. According to Hello!, she worked as a production secretary on the BBC regional programme Look North, which is how the couple met.
- Children: Two daughters. Hello! names them as Emma and Victoria. Wikipedia only says he is married with two daughters.
- Privacy: Craven has kept his family out of the spotlight throughout his career. He has spoken warmly about Marilyn, and in a 2019 interview reported by Hello! he called her his “rock”. He does not discuss his family in any detail beyond that.
- Home: He is widely reported to live in the English countryside, which fits his Countryfile role. We have not given a precise location, and you should be wary of any site that claims an exact address.
Not verified: grandchildren’s names, a net worth figure, and specific property details. None of these appear in primary or reputable sources, so we have left them out.
For how we handle other presenters’ relationships, see our guides to Dawn French’s husband and Noel Gallagher’s wife.
Recent work and charity roles
Craven has stayed linked to Countryfile well into his eighties. He has not publicly announced his retirement, but his appearances have become less frequent as the programme relies more on a rotating team. If you want to know whether he is in a particular week’s episode, the BBC’s own programme listings are the reliable source. Fan sites and social posts often fall behind.
Away from presenting, he has supported a number of charities and organisations, many of them to do with the environment, animals and the countryside:
- Young People’s Trust for the Environment
- The Waterways Trust
- SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad)
- Radio Horton, the hospital radio station, where he became president in 2016
These roles follow the same thread as his broadcasting: explaining the natural world and why it matters, first to children and then to adults.
Why John Craven’s age comes up so often
People search for his age for two reasons. First, he has been on screen for more than five decades, so many viewers are surprised he is in his mid-eighties. Second, presenters of his generation, such as Susan Attenborough, regularly draw searches whenever they appear on screen or are mentioned in the news.
Our advice: rely on the birth date, not on a printed age. An age printed on a page goes out of date every August. The date of 16 August 1940 does not change.
Sources and last updated
The facts in this article were checked against Wikipedia’s entry on John Craven (birth date, birthplace, education, career timeline and honours) and Hello! magazine’s feature on his private life (his marriage to Marilyn, the names of his daughters and the 2019 interview quote). His age is calculated from his confirmed birth date. Last updated: November 2026.
FAQs
How old is John Craven?
John Craven is 86 as of November 2026. He was born on 16 August 1940 and will turn 87 on 16 August 2027.
When is John Craven’s birthday?
His birthday is 16 August. He was born in 1940, which makes his star sign Leo.
Where was John Craven born?
He was born in Leeds, in what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire. He went to Leeds Modern School before starting work on local newspapers, including the Harrogate Advertiser and the Yorkshire Post.
How many times has John Craven been married?
As far as public reports show, once. He has been married to Marilyn for more than 50 years, and no previous marriage has been reported. They have two daughters.
How long was John Craven on Newsround?
He presented Newsround for 17 years, from its launch in 1972 until 1989, and fronted more than 3,000 episodes before moving to Countryfile.
Is John Craven still on Countryfile?
He has been linked to Countryfile since 1989 and has not publicly announced his retirement, though he now appears less often. Check the BBC’s programme listings for his latest appearances.
