Ian Hislop
The steadfast editor of Private Eye who has spent decades puncturing the egos of the powerful with a pen and a dry wit.
Born 1960 (age 66)·British writer and broadcaster·Birthday: July 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ian Hislop presides over Britain's satirical conscience from a famously cluttered office in Soho, having edited Private Eye since 1986. More than just a comedian, Hislop is a formidable journalist who treats satire as a vital tool for accountability. His tenure has been defined by legal battles, as the magazine's relentless exposure of hypocrisy and corruption in politics, business, and the media has frequently landed it in court. To the wider public, he is the unflappable, sharply-suited team captain on 'Have I Got News for You', delivering withering one-liners with a schoolmaster's calm. This dual role has made him a unique institution: a respected editor who is also a household face, using humor not just to entertain, but to insist on a clearer, less deceptive public life.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ian was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Has been the editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye since 1986, the longest-serving editor in its history.
- A founding team captain on the BBC's 'Have I Got News for You' since its 1990 inception.
- Successfully defended numerous high-profile libel lawsuits brought against Private Eye, establishing legal precedents for satire and investigative journalism.
- Won multiple awards, including the Editors' Editor award at the British Press Awards in 2010.
Did You Know?
He read English at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was contemporaries with Richard Curtis and was president of the Oxford Union.
Hislop has been sued for libel well over a dozen times, but has never paid damages in a settled case.
He is a published historian, having written books on topics including the Victorian philosopher John Stuart Mill.
He turned down an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2012.
“I feel very strongly that if you're going to be rude about people, you should be rude about them to their faces.”
