There is no objective measure of the “best” interviewer: a probing political exchange, a carefully built celebrity profile and a sensitive conversation may call for different skills. This curated selection highlights ten interviewers whose work has been recognised or documented for its access, preparation, range or impact. It is weighted toward UK journalism awards and British and US broadcast histories, rather than a global ranking.
How to read this selection
The names below are not ranked. They represent distinct approaches and formats, from newspaper profiles to televised political interviews. Award recognition is evidence of distinction in a particular category and year, not a universal score; career biographies document experience but are not head-to-head evaluations.
Interview craft also varies. Judges have praised preparation and detail, the ability to win access and trust, tough follow-up questions, and the discipline to let an interviewee’s own words carry weight. The examples below show how those qualities can serve different kinds of conversations.
Ten notable celebrity and political interviewers
Charlotte Edwardes: trust across subjects
Named the Press Awards’ 2026 Broadsheet Interviewer of the Year, Edwardes is recognised for interviews with actors, politicians and writers. The award page highlights her ability to win subjects’ trust, a useful foundation for conversations that move between public life and personal experience. The Press Awards’ 2026 award page.
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Clemmie Moodie: unguarded tabloid interviews
The Press Awards named Moodie its 2026 Tabloid Interviewer of the Year. Its judges credited her with eliciting unguarded moments and reported her first interview with Kate Cassidy. Her recognition reflects a tabloid interview format rather than a like-for-like comparison with broadsheet or broadcast work. The Press Awards’ 2026 award page.
Tom Bradby: a high-pressure political scoop
Bradby was honoured as interviewer of the year at the British Journalism Awards for Harry – The Interview. Judges described it as a scoop that made headlines around the world and praised its execution under tight deadlines. The example illustrates the distinctive demands of securing and delivering a major interview on a short timetable. British Journalism Awards.
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Alice Thomson: access with accountability
British Journalism Awards judges recognised Thomson for securing access, allowing subjects to speak in their own voice and still asking tough questions. Their assessment captures a balance that matters in both political and celebrity profiles: openness can yield revealing answers, while follow-up keeps the conversation substantive. British Journalism Awards.
Emma Barnett: rigorous preparation
Also honoured by the British Journalism Awards, Barnett was praised for rigorous research and attention to detail, and for persistently seeking answers to questions that matter to her audience. That emphasis on preparation is especially valuable when an interview needs to test claims rather than simply introduce a guest. British Journalism Awards.
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Emily Maitlis: an agenda-setting political interview
Maitlis was recognised by the British Journalism Awards for her Prince Andrew interview. Judges called it an outstanding interview and a global, agenda-setting scoop. The recognition points to the potential reach of a single broadcast exchange when its questions and answers become part of a wider public conversation. British Journalism Awards.
Lesley Stahl: decades of political and newsmaker interviews
Stahl’s CBS career record includes interviews with political figures and newsmakers such as Margaret Thatcher, Boris Yeltsin, Yasser Arafat and Donald Trump. CBS reports that she has won 13 Emmy Awards; the biography page does not state the year for that figure. Stahl is also the author of Reporting Live, a memoir about her work as a White House correspondent. CBS News biography.
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Ted Koppel: long-form current-affairs television
Koppel anchored Nightline from 1980 to 2005, according to the Television Academy, and interviewed politicians and celebrities. Its biography describes an audience drawn to the “plain speaking, articulateness, and topical urgency” of his late-night interviews. The Academy lists 25 Emmy Awards and nine Overseas Press Club awards; its page does not state the year for the Emmy figure. Television Academy biography.
Kirsty Wark: interviews across politics and the arts
Wark’s representative biography describes a range spanning politics, literature, music, film and visual arts, with guests including Margaret Thatcher, Madonna and George Clooney. It also reports that she received a 2024 RTS Lifetime Achievement Award. Her breadth makes her a clear example of how political and cultural interviewing can overlap without being the same kind of exchange. Kirsty Wark’s representative biography.
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Christiane Amanpour: informed, considered questioning
Amanpour’s interview with Siamak Namazi won the RTS 2024 Network Interview of the Year. The jury praised her informed, considered questioning and her decision to let the interviewee’s words speak for themselves. That approach demonstrates that a strong interview does not always depend on constant interruption; careful questions and space for a response can be consequential too. RTS 2024 awards.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes a political or celebrity interview effective?
These examples point to complementary skills rather than a single formula. Trust and access can bring a guest into a conversation; research helps the interviewer know what to ask; direct follow-up tests answers; and thoughtful pacing lets a subject’s response register. Which matters most depends on the purpose and format of the interview.
Recognition should be read in context. A newspaper award, a network interview prize and a career biography document different things. None establishes a universal ordering of interviewers, and the career-award totals reported for Stahl and Koppel are individual records, not comparable measures of quality.
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