Entertainment

Historian Dan Snow says father Peter urged him not to become a broadcaster

The presenter said his father had ‘hoped’ he would choose another profession.

The presenter said he also did not want his own children following him into the industry
The presenter said he also did not want his own children following him into the industry (Ian West/PA)
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Historian Dan Snow has said that his father, BBC presenter Peter Snow, asked him not to follow in his footsteps and become a broadcaster.

Snow – known for Battlefield Britain, Dan Snow’s Norman Walks and Filthy Cities – presented his first history show with his father, a BBC special on the battles of El Alamein.

He told LBC podcast Full Disclosure With James O’Brien: “My dad urged me not to go into this industry and now I feel the same way about mine.”

He recalled how he was discovered by the BBC during the annual Boat Race between Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Boat Club.

Broadcaster and presenter Peter Snow, second right, with his wife Anne, right, and children Kate, Shuna and Dan
Broadcaster and presenter Peter Snow, second right, with his wife Anne, right, and children Kate, Shuna and Dan (FIONA HANSON/PA)

“The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race can be a bit dull so they sort of spruce it up with videos of students going ‘oh, I’m so tired and I’ve got to do my studies and train’,” he said.

“I was one of said whining students and someone at BBC Development said ‘what about him doing a show on history’ because I was talking about history in this show.”

Snow, who went to Oxford, rowing three times in the race and graduating with a first-class degree in modern history, explained that a call came into his father trying to get him on board for a history programme with his son.

He said that his father “originally said ‘no'” but later changed his mind.

Snow said: “He also took me around Barnes Pond in south-west London and he said ‘you’re better than this’, which I wish was true.”

The presenter said his father had “hoped” he would choose another profession as he admired the people he interviewed.

He also said: “I’d die now if my kids wanted to become broadcasters. I’m like, ‘please go and become bioengineers or something exciting’.”

Snow said he wondered if his father, who had worked as a diplomatic correspondent for ITN, as well as reporting on general elections, wanted to be in meetings with politicians instead of just covering them.

Dan Snow on board a South African polar research vessel on an expedition to find the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance
Dan Snow on board a South African polar research vessel on an expedition to find the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance (Nick Birtwistle/Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/PA)

The historian tied the knot with criminologist and philanthropist Lady Edwina Grosvenor in 2010, and they have three children.

His father is the cousin of Channel 4 journalist Jon Snow, and has worked on Newsnight as well as presenting 20th Century Battlefields, and Battlefield Britain with his son.

They have also released a series of historical non-fiction books together, including The Battle Of Waterloo Experience.