Alastair Campbell was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, in 1957, the son of a Scottish vet. Having graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in modern languages, he went into journalism, principally with the Mirror Group, before joining Tony Blair as his spokesman and strategist from 1994 to 2003. He continued to act as an adviser to the Labour Party during subsequent election campaigns. A consultant strategist, writer and broadcaster, he is still engaged in politics in Britain and overseas, a leading advocate in the field of mental health, and co-presenter (with Rory Stewart) of the UK's chart-topping podcast The Rest Is Politics.

He lives in North London with his partner of forty-six years, Fiona Millar. They have three grown-up children. His interests include open water swimming, cycling, bagpipes and Burnley Football Club. His first book, The Blair Years, was a number one Sunday Times bestseller. He has since published eight volumes of diaries, a book on the Northern Ireland peace process, four novels, two children's books on politics, and two memoirs on living with depression. The second of these, Living Better; his book on success, Winners; and his most recent work about transforming politics, But What Can I Do?, all went straight to number one in the Sunday Times charts. He is also Editor-at-Large of The New World. He says he will never retire.