Richard Hamilton

Richard Hamilton has been a BBC journalist since 1995, serving as a correspondent in Morocco, South Africa, and Madagascar, and later as Africa Editor for BBC World Service radio. With a deep love for storytelling and culture, Richard brings destinations to life through vivid, first-hand experience and a gift for engaging audiences with the history, politics, and personalities of the places he knows best.

He is the co-author of the Time Out Guide to Marrakech and has written two acclaimed books on Morocco. The Last Storytellers: Tales from the Heart of Morocco (IB Tauris, 2011) explores the rich oral traditions of Marrakech and has been featured at international literary festivals and cultural events around the world — from Oxford and Gibraltar to storytelling gatherings in Jordan, Sharjah, and the Sahara Desert.

His second book, Tangier: From the Romans to the Rolling Stones (Bloomsbury, 2019), is a captivating cultural history of the city, seen through the lens of the artists, writers, and musicians who have passed through its storied streets.

Richard is a passionate and dynamic speaker who thrives on sharing his deep knowledge of North Africa and beyond with curious travelers. Whether presenting to literary audiences, briefing political leaders, or guiding visitors through ancient cities, his aim is always to illuminate the past and present of the places he loves most.

He studied Philosophy and Greek at Bristol University, earned a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the London College of Printing, and holds an MA in African Studies from SOAS, University of London.