Rob Osborne quits ITV to launch new politics podcast

Emily Price 

One of Wales’s most recognisable television journalists has announced he is stepping down from ITV Cymru Wales after 18 years.

During his time at the broadcaster, Rob Osborne has been named Welsh Television Journalist of the Year three times and has also picked up the Journalist of the Year prize at the Wales Media Awards.

“I could stay at ITV forever, but I have iches I need to scratch. I want to thank my amazing colleagues, past and present, and everyone who shared their story with me over these years,” Osborne said.

The 41 year old, originally from the Rhondda, is the National Correspondent for Wales at Six, and has fronted many flagship programmes for the channel.

He’s currently presenting Wales This Week, one of television’s longest-running current affairs programmes.

He’s grilled party leaders during the Senedd election in the recent Wales Decides: The Interviews, and for five years presented the weekly political show Sharp End.

“I was thrilled to be asked to take on a long-standing show like Sharp End. I’m proud of how we reinvited it, taking it from a 30-minute show on a Thursday night to an hour-long show on a Tuesday night. We took the issues seriously, but not ourselves,” Osborne said.

For nearly two decades on the frontline of journalism, his reporting has spanned major global and national events – from following a Swansea grandmother to her voluntary assisted suicide in Dignitas, to anchoring various Westminster and Senedd elections.

Spotlight

He has also shone a spotlight on the stories of ordinary people who have made an extraordinary impact, including the remarkable Owen Filer.

Osborne first met Mr Filer just before the pandemic in 2020 when he was a sprightly 100-year-old; he is now set to turn 107 as Wales’s oldest man.

“To leave ITV after 18 years really has been a difficult decision,” Osborne said. “For me, it means trying new things and following some passions, but I won’t be giving up journalism.”

He will shortly be launching a brand-new podcast called Wales and Westminster with former government insider Laura Emily Dunn.

Osborne said: “She’s advised from the inside, I have scrutinised from the outside.

“We hope it’s going to be an exciting new show with a look at the politics and the issues surrounding us at both ends of the M4.

“I’ll also be continuing my event hosting work – conferences, panels, awards. I just love the buzz of a live event, it’s just like live TV.”

He is also launching a new media consultancy, Think Like a Journalist, which aims to bring journalistic thinking into communications for teams and leaders.

Passion

Osborne said: “I’ve seen so many stories fall by the wayside because there was no strategy, no basic understanding of how journalists think.

“So, I set up Think Like a Journalist because if you can apply journalistic thinking to how you communicate, I think you have a better chance of getting through to the people who matter the most, the public.”

In addition he will be joining Mencap Cymru working in an external affairs capacity, championing causes surrounding learning disabilities – a cause that has long been a deep personal passion.

He said: “I grew up with a close relative who had Down’s syndrome.

“I saw first-hand how life was difficult for him and for us. And by making these changes, I can now use some of my skills to help campaign for change to ensure that everyone with a learning disability in Wales has the best possible chance to reach their full potential.

“This is an exciting chapter for me. I’ve spent nearly two decades on daily news, and while I will miss the team at ITV immensely, I am thrilled to be channelling that experience into new ventures.

Osborne leaves ITV at the end of August.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.