LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

Adam Boulton looks back on a career spent covering British politics at the highest level, from TV-am’s chaotic early days to three decades at Sky News. He recalls interviewing Margaret Thatcher and meeting figures including Ted Heath, Jim Callaghan, Harold Wilson and Alec Douglas-Home, plus the rough-and-ready reality of political reporting when “there were no barriers outside Number 10”. Adam cha...

Dermot brings you an end-of-year selection box of standout moments from Legends of News, a small sample of the stories that defined the podcast’s first year, including: • John Sergeant on Margaret Thatcher, the RAF flight to Moscow, spilled crockery and a legendary live on-air encounter • Natasha Kaplinsky OBE on the BBC Breakfast call-up, life on the sofa and the hierarchy written into contract •...

Julia Somerville charts the hard yards of reporting her way up through smoke-filled newsrooms to become one of the few female faces to read the news in the 1970s and 80s. She recalls landing the Nine O'clock News, the rigid BBC presenter culture, and the liberating move to ITN. Along the way come the defining moments: covering Thatcher’s rise, watching the Berlin Wall fall live on News at Ten,...

Nick Robinson, one of Britain’s most recognisable broadcasters and political journalists, joins Dermot Murnaghan to look back over a career that began at Piccadilly Radio and led him to the BBC’s Today programme. He talks about the early inspirations that led him into journalism, the personal tragedy he had to overcome, and the moments that have defined his decades on the political frontline. Foll...

Martha Kearney, one of Britain’s most respected political journalists, joins Dermot Murnaghan to reflect on a career that’s taken her from the phones at LBC to the BBC’s Today programme. She talks about covering elections from the battle bus, reporting through the peace process in Northern Ireland, and interviewing leaders from Thatcher to Blair. Martha recalls the chaos of early commercial radio,...

Tim Marshall, one of Britain’s most experienced foreign correspondents and bestselling authors, joins Dermot Murnaghan to discuss how punk rock, politics, and a passion for maps shaped his career. From leaving school at sixteen to reporting from war zones and writing the global phenomenon Prisoners of Geography, Tim reflects on four decades of journalism and geopolitics. He recalls bluffing his wa...

From the newsroom of Grampian TV to anchoring News at Ten and launching BBC Breakfast Time , Selina Scott’s career is packed with moments that changed the face of broadcasting. She recalls the leap from regional reporting to national television, the pressure of covering the Falklands War live, and the intensity of fronting breakfast TV under constant tabloid scrutiny. She talks about joining ITN t...

Kirsty Young is one of the most distinctive voices in British broadcasting. From reading continuity announcements on BBC Radio Scotland to hosting Desert Island Discs, Kirsty recalls breaking TV news tradition by standing up behind the newsdesk, interviewing Tony Blair on launch night, and anchoring live as 9/11 unfolded — including an on-air interview with her husband in Manhattan. They explore w...

He’s survived bombs, interviewed dictators, and come through ten near-death experiences — yet John Simpson has never stopped chasing the story. In this episode, the BBC’s World Affairs Editor unpacks more than half a century of frontline reporting. From his unlikely break at the BBC in 1966 to revolutions, wars, and encounters with world leaders. He recalls covering the Northern Ireland Troubles i...

She reported from the wreckage of Lockerbie, was held at gunpoint in the Balkans, and interviewed a dictator accused of ethnic cleansing. Carole Walker looks back on three decades as a BBC correspondent — from the horror of war and terrorism to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the political earthquakes that reshaped Britain. She also reveals: The surreal moment a Moscow doctor pulled a bug out...

In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan welcomes broadcaster and psychologist Dr. Sian Williams for a conversation about journalism, resilience, and the deeply human side of news. From her early days in Liverpool newsrooms to becoming one of the youngest editors on Radio 4 and eventually a trauma psychologist, Sian shares stories of imposter syndrome, newsroom sexism, learning to run in flat shoes, and...

From a decade of men-only bars and newsroom sexism, Christa Ackroyd fought her way to the front line of British journalism. In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan sits down with pioneering journalist and broadcaster Christa Ackroyd for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation about local journalism, resilience, and the role of women in news. Christa reflects on her trailblazing career in regiona...

In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan sits down with journalist, author and broadcaster Gavin Esler for a wide-ranging conversation that spans Northern Ireland, the White House, and a memorable visit to Dolly Parton’s home. Gavin opens up about his early career during the Troubles, his run-ins with BBC bureaucracy, and the journalism that helped free innocent men wrongly imprisoned after IRA bombings....

In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan talks to broadcaster Nick Owen about a career that began in local newspapers and led to national fame—culminating in his role at the heart of breakfast television during the 1980s. Nick shares how he helped rescue a failing TV-am, the unexpected promotion that made him front-page news, and what he learned working alongside Anne Diamond. He also speaks openly about...

In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan is joined by broadcasting legend Anne Diamond OBE, for a journey through journalism, personal loss, and untold wartime history. From turning around TV-am to uncovering her father’s secret role in inventing radar, Anne reflects on a career built on curiosity, compassion, and determination. She opens up about the behind-the-scenes battles at TV-am, being tabloid fod...

In this episode, Sir Trevor McDonald joins Dermot Murnaghan to reflect on a broadcasting career that spanned generations. From his early days in Trinidad to fronting News at Ten, he recalls the clashes and confidences that shaped a lifetime in journalism: arguing with Margaret Thatcher over Nelson Mandela, walking silently through Saddam Hussein’s palace, facing down George W. Bush in the Ova...

In this episode, Jonathan Dimbleby joins Dermot Murnaghan to reflect on a career defined by the power of serious journalism. From the golden age of current affairs television to the frontlines of forgotten conflicts, Dimbleby was there when journalism reached millions and meant something. He looks back on the moments that shaped him: the famine footage he had to smuggle out of Ethiopia, the quiet...

Joanna Gosling spent more than 30 years reporting the biggest stories of our time—but it was the quiet, human moments that finally got to her. In this episode, Joanna joins Dermot Murnaghan to reflect on the emotional toll of live news, the stories that stayed with her, and what it means when the person behind the headlines can no longer stay detached. From her first newsroom job with no experienc...

Natasha Kaplinsky started her media career in the typing pool, and became one of Britain’s most recognisable broadcasters.  In this deeply personal and candid episode, Natasha sits down with Dermot Murnaghan to revisit the defining moments of her career. From her early work with a then-unknown Sacha Baron Cohen to her breakout role on BBC Breakfast, Natasha reveals how she built a career with...

He’s faced down Russian special forces, slipped into Chechnya disguised as a refugee, and shared a room with Nelson Mandela just days after his release. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the frontlines of Iraq, Jonathan Charles has seen history unfold—often from just feet away. In this gripping episode, the legendary foreign correspondent reveals: • The moment Putin emerged—and the chilling chan...

John Sergeant has reported from 25 countries, covered the Vietnam War and The Troubles, served as the BBC’s Chief Political Correspondent for over a decade, and became ITV’s Political Editor before turning to documentaries and popular television. With bestselling books, acclaimed series like Britain’s Flying Past , and that unforgettable Strictly stint, his voice remains as distinctive—and enterta...