Robin Esser

Robin Charles Esser (born 1935) is a British newspaper executive and former editor.

After doing National Service and studying at Wadham College, Oxford University, where he edited the Cherwell newspaper, Esser began his career as a reporter with the Daily Express and Daily Sketch in 1957. He edited the Express' "Hickey" column, and gave both Nigel Dempster and Paul Dacre their first jobs on a national newspaper. By 1969, he was the newspaper's New York editor, and was the first British journalist to interview the Apollo 11 astronauts. He later became consultant editor of the London Evening News, before in 1985 returning to the Daily Express. In 1986, he became editor of the Sunday Express, a post he held until 1989. A great supporter and friend of Margaret Thatcher, Esser was due to receive a Knighthood in 1990 but declined the honour on the grounds that it was not appropriate for a serving editor to accept it.

Esser moved to the Daily Mail in 1991, where he introduced an arts and entertainment supplement, published on Fridays. He subsequently became the paper's Executive Managing Editor, with special responsibility for its website. He is an active member of the Society of Editors, for which he currently chairs the Parliamentary & Legal Committee, and the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust.

He has written three books, The Hot Potato (1969), The Paper Chase (1971) and Crusaders In Chains (2015).

He is married and has six children.