He was privately educated at the now defunct Roman Catholic preparatory school Avisford in Walberton and then at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire and was head boy in his final year at both establishments.

While at Ampleforth he befriended future High Court judge Nicholas Mostyn, who was also the son of a Nigerian-based BAT executive.

He presented editions of Assignment, Correspondent, Panorama and Call Ed Stourton, a phone-in programme on Radio 4.

He has made a number of current affairs programmes for Radio 4 including Asia Gold and Global Shakeout, The Violence Files, With us or against us, United Nations – or Not?.

In 2001, he won the Amnesty International Award for best television documentary for an episode of Correspondent about the Khiam detention center during the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon.

[7] Instead, shortly after Justin Webb joined the Today Programme in August 2009, Stourton moved from presenting duties to reporting on foreign stories.

Stourton is a Roman Catholic who regularly presents Sunday, Radio 4's religious and ethical current affairs programme.

He is the son of Nigel Stourton CBE, who worked for British American Tobacco, and Rosemary Abbott, being brought up near Patrick Brompton.

[citation needed] He married former colleague Fiona Murch on 8 November 2002 at Chelsea Register Office.