Sir Max Hastings, author of numerous books including Armageddon, Going to the Wars, and Das Reich, was editor of the Daily Telegraph for almost a decade, then for six years he edited the Evening Standard. In his youth he was a foreign correspondent for newspapers and BBC television. He has won many awards for his books and journalism, particularly his work in the South Atlantic in 1982. He was knighted in 2002 for services to journalism.

Sir Simon Jenkins is an award-winning journalist and author of several books on the politics, history and architecture of England. He writes for the Guardian and the Sunday Times, as well as broadcasting for the BBC. Jenkins was knighted for services to journalism in 2004.