 Purvis was educated at Dulwich College, a boarding independent school for boys in Dulwich in South London, followed by the University of Exeter.An ITN trainee who rose through the ranks, Purvis was the second editor of ITN's Channel 4 News from 1983 and is generally credited with creating the programme in its current ethos.He was Editor-in-Chief and CEO of ITN and retired in 2003 after 31 years at the company.