Richards was educated at Christ"s College, formerly a state grammar school, in Finchley, North London, and graduated in History at the University of York in 1981 before securing a place on a journalism course at the London College of Printing.
Foreign similar names see the disambiguation page Stephen Richards (disambiguation)
He worked in local radio and regional television in Newcastle before becoming a British Broadcasting Corporation political correspondent in 1990. In 1996 he became Political Editor for the New Statesman while continuing to present on radio and television In 2000 he became a political columnist at The Independent and Independent on Sunday. Richards presented GMTV"s The Sunday Programme, British Broadcasting Corporation Two"s Despatch Box, British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4"s Week in Westminster and chairs a light-hearted quiz show on Radio 4, Parliamentary Questions.
He is also a regular contributor to British Broadcasting Corporation News 24"s Head 2 Head weekly debate programme.
In addition, he also writes occasionally for the Evening Standard, has written and presented several films on Channel 4 and has presented Radio 4"s What The Papers Say.
In 2012, The Daily Telegraph ranked Richards as the 34th most influential person of the British left, reporting that his journalism has the attention of the leaders of the United Kingdom"s top three political parties.
