Robert Peston ‘smoked a lot of dope’ as a teenager

ITV’s political editor shares some candid confessions from his teenage dairy

Robert Peston first joined the BBC in 2006 as Business editor (BBC)

Robert Peston has revealed his use of cannabis as a teenager, claiming there was “a lot of it” around and it never did him or his friends any harm.

The political editor, who recently moved from the BBC to ITV in a reported £400,000 transition, spoke about his experiences in an interview for the BBC Radio 4 show, My Teenage Diary.

Recalling bits from his own diary, the 56-year-old said copious amounts of beer and cider were consumed while he was a teenager. From about the age of 12 or 13, cannabis was also thrown into the mix, according to the Radio Times.

“We also, if I’m honest, smoked a lot of dope,” he told Rufus Hound. “I didn’t do hard drugs but from about the age of 12, 13 onwards there was a lot of dope around and we smoked it.

“I'm not saying it's a good thing to smoke,” Peston added. “I'm just saying it happened, and if I look around at the people that I grew up with, I don't think it did any of us any serious harm.

“It certainly didn’t do me any serious harm.”

The son of economist Lord Peston, he also described his upbringing in north London in a relaxed household where he was introduced to various members of the political establishment.

My Teenage Diary airs on 31 May at 6.30pm on Radio 4