Roger Guttridge was brought up in the Sturminster Newton area and went to Blandford Grammar School before beginning a 33-year career which has embraced a wide range of media work including newspapers and magazines, book writing and publishing, PR and marketing, radio and television. He is a former chief reporter and deputy news editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo, and the author of a dozen published books and the editor of several others. Two of these are about smuggling - 'Dorset Smugglers', first published in 1983, and 'Smugglers' Trails', published in 1997. He is currently editorial director of the Dorset-based publishing company Red Post Books.

Roger's special interests include competitive swimming, and in recent years he has become one of Britain's leading swimming journalists, serving as press officer to the British team at world and European championships, covering international meets for national and regional newspapers, and writing & editing for two of the sport's leading magazines, 'Swimming' and 'Aqua Zone'.