About
1997–2002
Cambridge
Iain Overton studied History at Downing College, Cambridge, and took an MPhil in International Relations at Gonville and Caius College in 1997–98. His MPhil research on the First World War legend of the 'Crucified Soldier' became a Channel 4 Secret History documentary in 2002 and identified the soldier as Sergeant Harry Band.
2004–2005
BBC
As a producer and director at the BBC he worked on This World, Frontline Scotland and the series Places That Don't Exist with Simon Reeve. His films included Security Wars, on organised crime in Scotland's construction security industry, and Bad Medicine, an exposé of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
2005–2009
ITN
From 2005 he was an executive producer at ITN, where he commissioned independent output for the daily programme More4 News. He also made films for Al Jazeera.
2009–2012
The Bureau
In 2009 he became the founding editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in London and led it until 2012. The Bureau's work in those years included the Iraq War Logs, an investigation into deaths in police custody and Europe's Missing Millions, on fraud in EU funds.
Now
Action on Armed Violence
He then joined the London charity Action on Armed Violence, first as director of investigations and later as Executive Director. His work there focuses on the harm explosive weapons and guns cause to civilians, and has taken him to more than thirty places affected by armed violence, including Iraq, Colombia, Pakistan, Somalia, Ukraine and El Salvador.
Now
Teaching
He has taught human rights reporting and investigative journalism at Birkbeck and Edinburgh Napier University and ran workshops at the Frontline Club in London. He is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Media Studies at SOAS University of London and leads its MA in Investigative and Human Rights Journalism. Since 2024 he has been a co-commissioner of the Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health.
Education
BA in History, Downing College, Cambridge
MPhil in International Relations, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, 1997–98
Awards
| Year | Award | For |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | BAFTA Scotland | Security Wars |
| Prix Circom | Security Wars | |
| Peabody Award | Bad Medicine, BBC This World | |
| 2005 | One World Media Award, popular feature | Places That Don't Exist |
| 2006 | Bar Council award, best broadcast journalist | coroners reform report, ITN |
| 2011 | Amnesty International UK Media Award, Digital | Iraq War Logs, Bureau of Investigative Journalism team |
| 2011 | Thomson Reuters Reporting Europe Award | Europe's Missing Millions, awarded to the Bureau and Angus Stickler |
| 2012 | Amnesty International UK Media Award, Digital | Deaths in Custody, Bureau of Investigative Journalism team |
| Three Royal Television Society nominations | ||
| 2015 | CWA Non-Fiction Dagger, shortlist | Gun Baby Gun |
CasinoLeaks
Iain Overton is the volunteer editor-in-chief at CasinoLeaks and oversees its fact-checking.