Andrew Neil gave GB News its first big name – and then he quit in September 2021 after nine programmes. Since then the channel has made changes aplenty, and the faces male viewers of GB News see today are markedly different from those in the launch lineup. Some are former broadcaster pros from Sky or ITV; some are serving politicians; a couple have history in newspapers or comedy. This guide walks through what’s on what in October 2026, how the key names arrived there, and who’s exited along the way. It’s all subject to change, and for anything I couldn’t verify, I’ve flagged it.
Quick biography: GB News
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Channel | GB News, a free-to-air news and opinion channel with a radio simulcast |
| Launched | 13 June 2021 |
| Base | London, with studios in the Paddington Basin area and a Westminster studio |
| Owner | All Perspectives Ltd, backed by Sir Paul Marshall and the investment firm Legatum |
| Key figures | Alan McCormick (chairman) and Angelos Frangopoulos (chief executive) |
| Founders | Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider |
| Known for | Britain’s first television news start-up since Sky News in 1989, built around opinionated, presenter-led programmes |
| Where to watch | Freeview 236, Sky 512, Freesat 216, plus online and radio |
| Finances | Losses of £22.1 million in the year to May 2025, against revenue of £26.2 million |
Who are the main GB News presenters male viewers will recognise?
The channel’s own presenter page includes Eamonn Holmes, Nigel Farage, Patrick Christys, Stephen Dixon, Andrew Pierce, Michael Portillo, Neil Oliver and Tom Harwood as well as a number of women. The broader group of those who are on-air routinely is even larger. Alex Armstrong, Ben Leo and Matt Goodwin are regulars. Jacob Rees-Mogg is in the Conservative corner.
The group is connected by a variety of backgrounds. As the channel mixes news and opinion, its lineup of commentators and politicians has a different make-up than traditional broadcasters.
GB News Male Presenters Biography Table
| Name | Date of Birth | Birthplace | Profession / Known For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eamonn Holmes | 3 December 1959 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Breakfast presenter, former This Morning co-host |
| Stephen Dixon | 1 March 1974 | Newton-in-Furness, Cumbria | Breakfast presenter, former Sky News anchor |
| Andrew Pierce | 11 February 1961 | Bristol, England | Political commentator, journalist, Britain’s Newsroom presenter |
| Patrick Christys | 15 January 1992 | Wythenshawe, Manchester | Host of Patrick Christys Tonight |
| Tom Harwood | 26 August 1996 | Cambridge, England | Journalist, political commentator, deputy political editor |
| Martin Daubney | 22 June 1970 | Not confirmed | Presenter, journalist, former magazine editor |
| Ben Leo | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Journalist, US correspondent, co-host of The Late Show Live |
| Nigel Farage | 3 April 1964 | Farnborough, Kent, England | Host of Farage, politician and Reform UK leader |
| Jacob Rees-Mogg | 24 May 1969 | Hammersmith, London | Host of State of the Nation, politician and former cabinet minister |
| Michael Portillo | 26 May 1953 | Bushey, Hertfordshire | Host of Sunday with Michael Portillo, former politician |
| Neil Oliver | 21 February 1967 | Renfrewshire, Scotland | Historian, author and former GB News programme host |
| Lee Anderson | 6 January 1967 | Nottingham, England | Host of Lee Anderson’s Real World, Reform UK MP |
| Christopher Hope | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Political journalist, presenter of PMQs Live |
| Leo Kearse | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Comedian and Headliners panellist |
| Simon Evans | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Comedian and Headliners panellist |
| Josh Howie | 22 February 1976 | London, England | Comedian and host of Free Speech Nation |
| Charlie Peters | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Journalist and Saturday Morning Live presenter |
| Alex Armstrong | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Presenter of Alex Armstrong Tonight and Late Edition |
| Matt Goodwin | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Political commentator and host of Friday Night with Matt Goodwin |
| Mark White | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Home affairs and security correspondent |
| Cameron Walker | Not reliably confirmed | Not confirmed | Royal correspondent and journalist |
Breakfast: Eamonn Holmes and Stephen Dixon
Breakfast is where the channel’s most traditional broadcasters sit. Holmes and Ellie Costello front the Monday-to-Wednesday show, and Dixon and Costello co-host the Friday edition. Weekends go to Dixon alongside Anne Diamond, under the title Breakfast with Stephen and Anne.
Here’s a health update. GB News wrote in April 2026 that Holmes, then 66, had had a stroke and was convalescing in hospital, with Alex Armstrong filling in for him on his shifts. GB News’s TV schedule listings in mid-October still included a programme called Breakfast with Eamonn & Ellie, but I was unable to track down an official announcement of his return, so do check the channel before assuming he’s presenting.
Prime time: Christys, Farage and the politician question
Evening TV is the channel’s shop window, and two men are front and centre. Christys has developed a following in his own right with Patrick Christys Tonight. He is a public fundraising profile, having raised £407,000 for Friends of the Elderly in November 2024. But he has faced criticism as well: in July 2024 he issued an apology after a piece on Brighton and Hove’s mayor got his location wrong.
Then there’s Farage. He became a contributor in June 2021 and secured his own nightly programme in July 2021. He has since become leader of Reform UK and the MP for Clacton, and his show screens three nights a week. Reporting has also revealed that Farage has received about £700,000 for payments made by the channel between July 2024 and June 2026 – something that has been mentioned in the debate about politicians appearing on screens.
That debate has a legal dimension. In February 2025, the High Court decided that Ofcom’s two rulings against GB News over Jacob Rees-Mogg’s shows were unlawful, because the law it was applying related to news and not current affairs programmes. Ofcom’s rules still restrict politicians from serving as newsreaders. Fans say it is a clear free-speech victory. Opponents say it is an indefinable line between presenter and propagandist.
Sundays and long-form: Portillo, Oliver and Pierce
The weekend schedule is also a lot slower and more contemplative. Sunday with Michael Portillo sits alongside the Camilla Tominey Show and Free Speech Nation. Portillo and Andrew Pierce were announced as new presenters in August 2022, and the fact that Portillo is a former Conservative cabinet minister turned documentary presenter lends his slot a slightly different flavour to the evening shouting matches.
Oliver’s show is the most contentious of this batch. Ofcom found that he was in the clear over one of his programmes in 2024, but others have criticised his output on the programme by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. He is one of the more memorable for the channel.
The newer political voices
Harwood has graduated from reporter to presenter and now does a more packed schedule. In October 2026, Harwood and Ben Leo hosted The Late Show Live from Washington DC, and Harwood has presented coverage of by-elections. Armstrong has become a regular stand-in and Friday presenter. Goodwin was announced in early 2026 as Reform UK’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, a sign of how regularly the channel’s fresh faces are connected to party politics.
Male presenters who left GB News
The exits are as telling as the arrivals.
- Andrew Neil resigned in September 2021 and later called the move his biggest mistake.
- Dan Wootton was suspended in September 2023 and confirmed his exit in March 2024 after Ofcom’s investigation concluded.
- Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson were sacked in October 2023.
- Colin Brazier left in September 2022.
- Alastair Stewart retired as a regular presenter in 2023.
- Boris Johnson was announced as a presenter in 2023, but as of January 2026, he had not appeared in the studios.
Why the audience matters
Presenter casting follows the audience. A survey in April 2024 estimated 62% of GB News’ viewers were male, with a significant proportion in older age brackets. The ratings situation is solid, if complex. GB News’s average audience of 87,700 in December 2025 beat the BBC News channel and Sky News, but the overall weekly reach was lower than each of those broadcasters. Trust is a different matter – a 2025 survey of UK news consumers showed it had a net trust rating of –15, the only negative rating of the broadcasters surveyed.
Quick answers to common questions
If you are looking for GB News presenters, you are wondering who presents the programme. Breakfast was hosted by Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello, from Monday to Wednesday, with Stephen Dixon for the rest, although Holmes has not returned since his stroke in April 2026. Nigel Farage’s prime time show was still on air in October 2026, and Patrick Christys has presented his nightly show since November 2023.
Tom Harwood remains the early signing presenter, while Andrew Neil, Dan Wootton and Colin Brazier have gone. Politicians are allowed to programme shows that they have Ofcom permission for. They may not read news, and the Channel was defended by the High Court in 2025.
What to keep in mind
Which GB News presenters male followers update regularly, and the above is what might be confirmed as of mid-October 2026. Show times for particular slots, particularly the breakfast hours, might also vary. For those following a specific presenter, the most reliable source is the channel’s own schedule.
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