Peter Craven was born in 1958 in the northern English city of Huddersfield. His Scottish mother was born near Edinburgh. His father was a soldier, who fought against the Germans in World War Two and was also stationed in a number of different countries during his career in the British army. As a result, Peter spent part of his childhood in countries, such as Bahrain and Hongkong. For a while, he went to boarding school. After leaving school, Peter did a degree in political science in England. He first came to Berlin to visit his father, who was stationed for a while in West Berlin during the Cold War, and came to love the city.
Peter experienced at first hand the fall of the Berlin Wall, a historic event that still looks back on with emotion today. He was among the first people to clamber on top of the Wall on that momentous night. After moving to the city, he worked as a translator before joining Deutsche Welle in the 1990s where he became a news presenter and political correspondent. Five years ago, Peter Craven also became the host of Talking Germany. He also chairs conferences and translates. Peter Craven lives with his wife, who is also a journalist, and his two children in Berlin.